KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team lost to No. 13 West Chester University, 24-15, Wednesday at Osceola Park on day five of the Sunshine State Games in Kissimmee, Florida.
 
Slippery Rock drops to 6-4 on the season in the loss while the nationally ranked Golden Rams improve to 9-2.
 
SRU scored at least two runs in each of the first four innings to build a seemingly comfortable 11-3 lead against West Chester. However, WCU proceeded to post 11 consecutive runs over the fifth and sixth innings to storm back and take a 14-11 lead of its own.
 
The Rock got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but the Golden Rams put any thoughts of a Rock comeback to rest with a six-run eighth inning en route to the eventual nine-run victory.
 
Eight Rock players combined to produce a near-season high 22 hits Wednesday with Christian Porterfield leading the way by going a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs scored, one home run, one double and two RBI. Through 10 games this season, Porterfield is batting .472 with 17 runs, four home runs and 15 RBI.
 
Joe Campagna and Mitchell Wood tallied four hits apiece with Campagna scoring three times to go with a pair of RBI and Wood finishing a home run short of the cycle. Wood, who drove in three runs Wednesday, has recorded triples in back-to-back games for The Rock.
 
Tyler Walters was 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, one double a stolen base and a walk. Since the start of the Sunshine State Games, Walters has improved his batting average 139 points from .214 to .353.
 
Luca Fuscardo drove in two runs, Abraham Mow had three RBI, Matt Mandes walked twice and Frankie Jezioro stole his team-leading fifth base of the year to round out The Rock's top contributors against West Chester.
 
Chris Anastas got the start on the mound for The Rock, recording five strikeouts while allowing five runs on three hits and five walks over 4.1 innings in a no-decision performance.
 
Wyatt Daugherty (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season after surrendering nine runs, only three of which were earned, on 10 hits in 1.1 innings pitched. Alex Worthington, Derek Boben and Donald Colucci Jr. combined to throw the final three innings of the contest.
 
Jared Melone was 3-for-5 with one home run and six RBI to lead West Chester in the win. WCU used five pitchers against The Rock with Nick Picariello (1-0) getting the win after holding SRU to one run in 1.1 innings.
 
Slippery Rock will look to bounce back from Wednesday's defeat with a win 2 p.m. Thursday against Mansfield University at Osceola Park – Field Two. SRU defeated Mansfield 25-1 earlier in the week.


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