SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. Connor Hamilton hit two home runs and produced seven RBI to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team in a doubleheader sweep of Indiana (Pa.) Friday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
The Rock began the day by mounting a late comeback to capture the opener, 7-5, followed by an impressive 9-2 victory in game two. Friday's sweep improves The Rock's record to 4-1 on the season while IUP drops to 1-3 with the losses.
 
Slippery Rock parlayed strong starting pitching performances by Luke Trueman and Christian Seelhorst with an offense that registered 19 hits over the doubleheader into a pair of wins.
 
Hamilton proved nearly impossible to get out Friday as he finished the day by going a combined 7-for-8 with four runs scored, two home runs, seven RBI and one triple. The Rock's catcher has now hit safely in 14 consecutive games dating back to last year.
 
GAME ONE: Slippery 7 – Indiana 5
Slippery Rock rallied back from a two-run deficit in the sixth inning to secure a 7-5 victory in game one.
 
SRU held a tight 3-2 lead through the first five innings of the opener behind an RBI-double from Alex Robenolt in the third and the first of Hamilton's two home runs of the day, this one being a towering drive to left field with one runner on base, in the fifth before IUP posted three runs in the top of the sixth to pull ahead of The Rock 5-3.
 
However, Slippery Rock persevered and was able to mount an impressive comeback that began with a four-run sixth inning and concluded with a dominant showing by Travis Holman out of SRU's bullpen.
 
Jon Kozarian started The Rock's comeback bid in the sixth when his sacrifice fly scored Nick Reynosa from third base. Hamilton followed Kozarian by shooting a single through the right side that plated Abraham Mow to pull Slippery Rock even with IUP at 5-5 with two outs in the frame.
 
Robenolt proceeded to draw a walk to give SRU runners on first and second with Quentin Brown coming to the plate. Brown came up huge for The Rock as he promptly delivered a double to left field that scored Hamilton and Robenolt to give SRU a two-run lead it would never relinquish.
 
In what was his second appearance this season, Holman came on in the seventh and shut down IUP's hitters by throwing a pair of strikeouts and forcing Austin Vigliotti to fly out to right field for the game's final out.
 
Hamilton went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, one home run and three RBI in the opener. Mow, Kozarian, Robenolt and Brown all added doubles in the victory while Reynosa and Colin Cain chipped in base hits to round out The Rock's top hitters in game one.
 
Trueman turned in his second straight solid performance of the season on the mound. He scattered two runs and four hits over five innings while recording a career-high seven strikeouts.
 
JT Wolke (1-0) was the pitcher of record for The Rock. He came on for Trueman in the sixth and got in trouble early, allowing three runs, but was able to strand a runner on second when he finished the inning. Holman earned his first save in a Rock uniform after throwing a near perfect seventh inning.
 
Reliever Mark Edeburn (0-1) took the loss for IUP after giving up two runs in 0.2 innings of work. Harrison Pontoli drove in two runs to pace the Indiana bats.
 
GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 9 – Indiana 2
Christian Seelhorst and Andy McClymonds were overpowering on the mound and The Rock's bats scored runs in five different innings as SRU cruised to a 9-2 victory in game two.
 
Seelhorst (1-0) settled in following a shaky first inning to completely stymie the Crimson Hawks. He supplied Slippery Rock with 4.2 innings pitched, striking out 11 batters while giving up just two runs on four hits and four walks before giving way to McClymonds, who was basically flawless with five strikeouts and no runs allowed over 2.1 innings.
 
Seelhorst's 11 strikeouts is tied for the seventh most in a single-game in program history. He is the second Rock pitcher this season to compile 11 strikeouts; Ricky Mineo also accomplished the feat March 7 against West Virginia State.
 
Hamilton followed up on his game one performance with another stellar showing in game two. He was 2-for-4 with two runs scored one home run, one triple and four RBI. Serving as The Rock's designated hitter, Trueman finished off a great all-around day by going 2-for-3 with two runs, one home run and two RBI.
 
Mow, Robenolt, Brown, Cain and Anthony Cinicola added hits as well with Kozarian walking twice and Brown also stealing a base in what turned into an offensive onslaught for The Rock.
 
Indiana held a brief 1-0 lead, but Slippery Rock scored six consecutive runs over the opening four innings while closing the day with three runs in the fifth and sixth to finish off a game that was never truly in question.
 
Nick Kuhn (0-1) surrendered six runs in 3.2 innings pitched for Indiana. Chris Eisel hit one home run and Nick Hess belted a pair of doubles for the Crimson Hawk offense.
 
Slippery Rock will close out the weekend with a home doubleheader Sunday against Frostburg State University. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Jack Critchfield Park.
 


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