CARY, N.C. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team closed out its time at the USA Baseball National Training Complex Thursday in Cary, North Carolina with a 17-9 win against Franklin Pierce University. The victory marked the 1,000th career win in the career of head coach Jeff Messer.
 
Messer is just the 18th coach in NCAA Division II history to reach 1,000 career wins. Already the winningest coach in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference history, Messer has led The Rock to 30 winning seasons, one year with a .500 winning percentage and just two losing campaigns since taking over the program in 1986.
 
Messer, who ranks sixth in victories among active Division II coaches, has led The Rock to 25 PSAC Tournament appearances, 12 NCAA Tournament berths and four bids to the NCAA Division II World Series. Under his watch, 13 Rock players have been selected in the MLB draft, five of which have come over the last 10 years including current major leaguers Matt Adams (Washington Nationals) and Lou Trivino (Oakland A's) and prospect Alex Pantuso (Oakland A's).
 
Thursday's win improves The Rock's record to 6-5 this season while Franklin Pierce drops to 6-6.
 
Slippery Rock led 4-0 through two-and-a-half innings before the Ravens posted a six-run bottom of the third to briefly take the lead. SRU responded with five runs over the next two innings to pull back ahead 9-6 only for FPU to answer with a three-run frame in the seventh to tie the contest at 9-9.
 
However, The Rock put the game away with eight unanswered runs over the eighth and ninth innings to secure the 17-9 victory. The Rock's offense set season-highs in runs scored, hits (22) and RBI (13). Six different players posted multi-hit games.
 
Ray Scala gave one of the top offensive performances of his collegiate career. The senior went 5-for-6 with one run scored, three RBI a double and a walk. Scala has produced hits in seven straight games and has reached base safely in all 11 contests in 2019.
 
Colin Cain went 4-for-6, drove in four runs and scored two more on a day in which the freshman finished a home run shy of the cycle. Tyler Merigliano compiled the first four-hit game of his career with an impressive 4-for-5, four-run, three-RBI, one-home run showing. Seven of Merigliano's 13 hits this season have occurred in The Rock's last three games.
 
Another true freshman to produce for The Rock against Franklin Pierce was Luke Trueman, who was 3-for-6 with three runs, one RBI and a double. Abraham Mow (2-for-4) and Jon Kozarian (2-for-4) also notched two-hit games with Kozarian, who also walked twice, scoring three runs and Mow registering one RBI.
 
The Rock's pitching staff, which had used 11 different pitchers over the previous four days, got a much needed six-inning outing from starting pitcher Tanner Stanz, who concluded his fourth start of the season allowing eight runs on seven hits and four walks. Stanz was solid outside of the six-run third inning, with just three hits, one walk and two runs allowed the rest of day.
 
Wyatt Daugherty (2-0), who came on for Stanz with no outs and two runners on base in the seventh, earned the win after pitching the final three innings and allowing one run of his own, in addition to the two inherited runners, for his second victory of the year. Daugherty only surrendered one hit over his final two innings pitched.
 
Franklin Pierce used six different pitchers Thursday. Connor Houle (0-1) took the loss for the Ravens after giving up three runs in the middle portion of the game. Graham Smith and Jethro Hurt combined to drive in six runs to pace Franklin Pierce's bats.
 
With its time at the USA Baseball Training Complex complete, Slippery Rock will now turn its attention to its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division series of the season against Gannon March 22-23.
 
The Rock and Golden Knights are currently scheduled to play a doubleheader at Gannon March 22 followed by a pair of games at Jack Critchfield Park March 23. First pitch of game one on both days is slated for 1 p.m.
 
 

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