CARY, N.C. – Joe Campagna hit a two-run home run with one out in the top of the ninth inning to help lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to an 8-7 win over Dominican College Monday at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
Slippery Rock has now won three out of its last four games, including two straight against Dominican, to improve its record to 6-5 on the season overall. Dominican falls to 4-5 on the year with the loss.
SRU entered the top of the ninth inning trailing 7-6. With one out in the frame,
Carson Kessler belted a double and was quickly brought in on the next Rock at-bat thanks to Campagna's first home run of the season, giving SRU an 8-7 edge.
The one-run lead was more than enough for
James Divosevic, who recorded back-to-back strikeouts to start the bottom of the ninth before giving Dominican a brief opening by hitting a batter to put the game-tying run on base. However, Divosevic rebounded and closed out the contest by forcing a game-ending strikeout.
Slippery Rock totaled 13 hits against Dominican, its second highest hit total of the season. The first four players in SRU's batting order (Divosevic,
Luca Fuscardo,
Tyler Walters and Kessler) all produced two-hit days as did
Mitchell Wood while Campagna,
Frankie Jezioro and
Kyle Wise registered one hit apiece.
Fuscardo, who also stole his third base of the season Monday, has hit safely in all 11 Slippery Rock games this season and is batting .391. Fuscardo has six multi-hit games in SRU's 11 contests.
After starting the season 2-for-21 at the plate, Walters has found his stride as of late by going 7-for-17 with nine RBI, one home run and four doubles over the last four games.
Pitcher
Chris Anastas started Monday's game for The Rock. He lasted 4.1 innings, allowing five runs and four hits while striking out three batters prior to giving way to
Andrew Null, who scattered one run on four hits and two walks over 2.2 innings of relief work.
Divosevic came on for Null in the eighth inning, allowing one run on two hits to go with four strikeouts. Divosevic is now 1-0 with one save against Dominican over the last two days.
Slippery Rock jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before the Chargers answered back with two runs in the third inning and four more in the fifth to take a 6-3 edge on The Rock. SRU answered back with three runs in the seventh only to have Dominican re-take the lead with a run in the eighth leading to SRU's late-game heroics.
Joseph Libio went 2-for-3 with one run, one RBI and a pair of walks to lead Dominican. Relief pitcher Kraigen Rasalla took the loss after allowing the go-ahead home run. Starting pitcher Nicholas Galese went five innings against The Rock, surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks in addition to five strikeouts.
Slippery Rock will play a doubleheader against Dominican Tuesday on its final day at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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