BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – For the first time this season, she Slippery Rock University baseball team was swept in a doubleheader as The Rock dropped a pair of games at Bloomsburg University Wednesday. The Huskies slugged their way to a 12-5 victory in game one and an 8-4 win in game two.
 
The highlight of the day for Slippery Rock belonged to Tyler Walters, who tied the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record for home runs in a career with a three-run shot in the third inning of game one. The blast was the 45th of Walters' career. He is now tied with Shippensburg University alum Jake Kennedy for the most home runs in PSAC history.
 
Walters' home run was his team-leading ninth of the season. The senior slugger has now hit four home runs in his last six games. Abraham Mow also had a productive doubleheader to help lead SRU. The Rock's leadoff hitter went 2-for-4 with three walks, two runs scored and one RBI.
 
The non-conference losses drop The Rock's record to 19-11 while Bloomsburg improves to 23-7 in 2018 with the sweep.
 
GAME ONE: Bloomsburg 12 – Slippery Rock 5
The Huskies went for nine runs in the first two innings on the way to a seven-run victory in game one.
 
SRU struck first in the opener via an RBI-double by Walters in the top of the first, but Bloomsburg took advantage of two hits, three walks and one error in the bottom half of the frame to produce five runs.
 
Bloomsburg furthered its lead on The Rock to 9-1 in the second inning highlighted by a Ryan Shiffer two-run home run to right field.
 
SRU briefly cut into the Huskies' thanks to Walters' record-tying three-run homer in the third, but Bloomsburg went on to tally three more insurance runs to pull away from SRU, which could only respond with one score in the seventh when Bo Williams crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
 
Walters finished game one 2-for-4 with one home run, one double and four RBI. Mow also had a multi-hit outing in the opener, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Frankie Jezioro, Tyler Merigliano and Ray Scala accounted for SRU's other three hits.
 
Stephen McKee dropped to 0-2 on the year on the mound. He lasted one inning, allowing five runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three batters. Alex Worthington came on in relief of McKee in the second and proceeded to pitch four innings, surrendering six runs while striking out six Huskies. Zach Manasek and Donald Colucci Jr. finished off the contest on the mound for SRU.
 
Ed Herbener (3-0) provided Bloomsburg with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Seven of Bloomsburg's starters had at least one hit in the opener.
 
GAME TWO: Bloomsburg 8 – Slippery Rock 4
Just like game one, the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader saw a slew of runs scored early.
 
With two runners on in the first inning, Joe Campagna struck a two-run double to left field and promptly scored on an RBI-single by Luca Fuscardo. However, Bloomsburg responded to The Rock's three-run barrage by plating seven of its own over the next three innings to push past SRU, 7-3, heading into the fourth.
 
SRU's best chance to get back into the game came in the fourth inning when The Rock loaded the bases with no outs, but following a walk that brought in one run, Bloomsburg's Ashton Raines was able to get out of the jam relatively unscathed by forcing SRU into a double play followed by an inning-ending strikeout.
 
Ben Newbert belted a solo home run for Bloomsburg's final run of the day in the bottom of the fourth. Slippery Rock put two runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't push a run across in either instance as the Huskies closed out the 8-4 victory.
 
Campagna recorded two of The Rock's five hits as part of a 2-for-4, two-RBI performance. Christian Porterfield added a double while Fuscardo and Matt Mandes each had one single. Mow and Scala, The Rock's leadoff and No. 2 hitters, combined for five walks. Jezioro stole his team-best 10th base of the season as well in the loss.
 
Andrew Null (0-2) started his first game of the season. He pitched two innings before being taken out in favor of Derek Boben. Null gave up six runs, but only three were of the earned variety. Boben came on to limit Bloomsburg to just two runs over the next four innings while striking out a career-best five batters in the process.
 
Bloomsburg used six different pitchers in game two. Mike Warren picked up the win after throwing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief. Newbert was 3-for-4 with two runs, three RBI and one home run.
 
Slippery Rock resumes PSAC West competition with a four-game series against Indiana (Pa.). SRU will play at IUP in a doubleheader on Friday before returning to Jack Critchfield Park for a pair of games on Saturday.
 
 
 
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