SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team opened its 2021 season with a doubleheader split against West Virginia State University Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
The Yellow Jackets (2-1) took game one of the doubleheader, 9-5, but The Rock (1-1) bounced back to salvage the day with an 8-5 victory in game two. Saturday's game marked the first on-campus varsity athletic contest at Slippery Rock University in 371 days.
 
SRU had an impressive day at the plate Saturday as The Rock totaled 20 hits over the two games, seven of which went for extra bases.
 
Jon Kozarian and Connor Hamilton led the way for Slippery Rock. Kozarian went 4-for-7 with four runs scored, one home run, one RBI and one stolen base over the doubleheader while Hamilton drove in a pair of runs while enjoying a 4-for-8, two-run, two-RBI day.
 
Quentin Brown drove in three runs and walked twice while collecting three hits against the Yellow Jackets. Colin Cain, Alex Robenolt and Abraham Mow added two hits apiece with Mow also scoring three times to go with a pair of RBI. Robenolt drove in one run in each game as well.
 
GAME ONE: West Virginia State 9 – Slippery Rock 5
The Rock battled back from an early three-run deficit to pull even with West Virginia State after five innings, but a late surge by the Yellow Jackets proved too much for SRU to overcome in its 9-5 loss.
 
West Virginia State held a 5-2 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning before Slippery Rock mounted its comeback bid in impressive fashion with a three-run frame that tied the contest.
 
With two runners on and two outs, Brown roped a double down the left field line that plated Mow and allowed Hamilton to advance to third base. Hamilton proceeded to score on a wild pitch to further cut into WVSU's lead. Two batters later, Vince Donato laced a single up the middle that scored Brown and made it a 5-5 contest in the process before the Yellow Jackets were able to get out of the inning.
 
However, SRU was unable to complete its comeback as West Virginia State answered back with four runs over the final two innings on the way to a four-run victory.  
 
Brown finished the opener 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Kozarian also added two hits as well as a pair of runs and one stolen base. Hamilton, Robenolt, Donato and Joel Spishock all had hits as well with Robenolt accounting for one of The Rock's four RBI.
 
Andrew Shivak was The Rock's starting pitcher in game one. He battled through three innings, allowing three runs on two hits and five walks while striking out one batter. JT Wolke (0-1) was the pitcher of record for SRU. He threw the final four innings, giving up six runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three batters. Only one of the runs surrendered by Wolke was earned.
 
Ethan Lauchart (1-0), one of five pitchers used by WVSU in the opener, picked up the win after giving up four unearned runs over three innings of work from the Yellow Jackets' bullpen. Andrew Massey was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one home run. Massey's big hit was a solo shot in the sixth in what turned out to be the game-winning run.  
 
GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 8 – West Virginia State 5
Slippery Rock scored eight consecutive runs over the middle stages of game two en route to a decisive 8-5 victory.
 
West Virginia State got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the remainder of the game was controlled by The Rock as SRU's pitching duo of Luke Trueman (1-0) and Travis Holman combined with a potent offense to seal the win.
 
Mow began the game-two rally with a run-scoring double in the second inning that was followed by an RBI-single from Hamilton and capped off by Brown drawing a bases-loaded walk to bring the third and final run of the frame home.
 
SRU added to its lead with three more runs in the third as Nick Reynosa, Mow and Hamilton all registered RBI-singles to push The Rock's advantage out to 6-2. Slippery Rock went on to add two insurance runs in the fifth inning when Kozarian slugged a solo home run to left field and Robenolt stroked an RBI-double to centerfield.
 
WVSU briefly threatened The Rock's lead in the seventh inning by scoring three runs, but Holman was able to end any thoughts of another late Yellow Jacket rally by successfully fielding a ground ball and throwing out Cole Kiddy at first to end the game and give SRU the doubleheader split.  
 
Trueman provided Slippery Rock with a great start on the mound as he scattered two unearned runs on one hit and two walks over five innings in addition to tallying five strikeouts. Holman came on for Trueman in the sixth to record the final six outs.
 
Seven of SRU's 11 hits in game two came from the top of The Rock's batting order where Hamilton went 3-for-4 with two RBI and the duo of Mow and Kozarian produced matching 2-for-3, two-run showings with Mow driving in two runs and Kozarian hitting the first Rock home run of the season.
 
Cain, who was playing in his first collegiate game since 2019, supplied SRU with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored all the while playing solid defense at first base.
 
Tyler Lafferty (0-1) took the loss for West Virginia State on the mound. Lafferty, the third of six pitchers used by WVSU in game two, gave up two runs and did not record an out in the second inning.
 
Slippery Rock and West Virginia State will close out the weekend series with a single nine-inning game on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.




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