SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team continued its winning ways with another doubleheader sweep of Clarion University Saturday afternoon at Jack Critchfield Park in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.
Slippery Rock picked up a pair of one-run victories Saturday as it held on for a 6-5 win in game one before rallying late in game two for a 5-4 triumph. SRU is now a perfect 8-0 in one-run games this season.
SRU exits its first weekend of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition at 12-5 overall and 4-0 in league games. Slippery Rock has now won eight consecutive games which is tied for the program's longest winning streak over the last five seasons. The losses dropped Clarion's record to 3-10 overall and 0-4 in conference games.
It was nearly impossible for leadoff hitter
James Divosevic to have a better day at the plate. Over two games, Divosevic went 6-for-8 with two runs scored, three RBI and one stolen base. He has now hit safely in nine straight games.
Christian Porterfield accounted for two of The Rock's three home runs against the Golden Eagles, finishing the doubleheader 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI to go with his pair of home runs.
Tyler Walters launched The Rock's other homer Saturday for his second shot of the year.
GAME ONE: Slippery Rock 6 – Clarion 5
Slippery Rock almost saw a five-run lead completely vanish before managing to shutdown Clairon's late comeback bid.
The Rock took a seemingly safe 6-1 lead into the sixth inning before Clarion loaded the bases with no outs. CU would get its first two runs of the inning off of tough groundballs to the left side of the infield while its final two runs came off of of a Rock error on an attempted pickoff. However, starting pitcher
Matt Gordon (1-1) was able to get out of the inning by striking out Matt Kamenicky with the tying run on third base.
Josh Coleman came on for Gordon in the seventh and recorded three quick outs to close out the 6-5 win and extend his innings without an earned run allowed streak to 9.2 in the process.
SRU tallied its six runs almost exclusively via home runs. Trailing 1-0 in the first inning, Porterfield delivered a two-run shot over the center field wall. Walters led off the third with a solo home run and Porterfield capped off The Rock's scoring efforts with another solo homer in the fifth. Sandwiched in between the long balls was a two-run single by Divosevic in the second inning.
Divosevic was a perfect 4-for-4 with one run and two RBI in the opener. Porterfield went 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and two home runs.
Frankie Jezioro also had a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-3 with one run and one stolen base. Walters' home run and a
Luca Fuscardo single made up SRU's ninth and 10th hits of the contest.
Gordon picked up his first win of the season after turning in a six-inning, seven-strikeout performance. The seven strikeouts were a career-high for the junior hurler. Coleman's save was his team-leading third of the year.
GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 5 – Clarion 4
While Slippery Rock was the team holding on to a lead in the opener, it was forced to switch roles with Clarion in game two as SRU had to fight back from a two-run deficit late in the game.
SRU trailed Clarion 4-2 with one out and runners on first and third in the sixth inning when
Kyle Wise started the rally with an RBI-groundout that scored
Carson Kessler. Fuscardo then came on as a pinch hitter and promptly registered run-scoring single that plated Jezioro from second base to tie the game at 4-4. Divosevic finished off the rally with sharply hit double to left-center that allowed Fuscardo to score and give SRU a 5-4 advantage.
Clarion nearly spoiled The Rock's day as it put players on base on two seperate occasions in the seventh inning, but
Wyatt Daugherty, who entered the game in the sixth, was eventually able to stymie the Golden Eagle comeback bid and secure yet another one-run Rock victory.
Daugherty, who has not given up a run in his last 11.1 innings pitched, improved to 2-0 in 2017 after surrendering one hit and no runs in two innings.
Trevor Adkins got the start on the mound for SRU and went three innings, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk before giving way to
Shawn Holman who pitched the fourth and fifth innings. All three Rock pitchers notched two strikeouts.
Divosevic had two of Slippery Rock's six hits in the nightcap while Porterfield, Jezioro, Fuscardo and
Tyler Merigliano all came up with one hit apiece. Walters also reached base twice on two walks, his team-leading 10th and 11th free passes of the year.
Slippery Rock begins a four-game series against Pitt-Johnstown with a doubleheader at Jack Critchfield Park on March 31. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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