SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Behind great pitching performances from Andy McClymonds and Travis Holman, the Slippery Rock University baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep against Pitt-Johnstown Saturday in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
Slippery Rock recorded a 2-1 victory in game one before finishing off the sweep with a 9-6 victory in game two. Saturday's wins improve The Rock's record to 16-7 overall and 7-5 in the PSAC West while the Mountain Cats fall to 15-13 overall and 11-8 in league games.
 
McClymonds (4-0) set the tone for the day by throwing the first complete game of his career in the opener while Holman (1-0) came out of the bullpen for The Rock in game two and proceeded to silence a hot UPJ lineup for the following 6.2 innings.
 
Offensively, Slippery Rock was led over the doubleheader by the trio of Luke Trueman, Alex Robenolt and Quentin Brown. Trueman finished the doubleheader 3-for-7 with two runs scored, two RBI and a double. Robenolt also went 3-for-7 while scoring two runs and stealing three bases. Brown added one hit, a pair of runs, three walks and a stolen base.
 
GAME ONE: Slippery Rock 2 – Pitt-Johnstown 1
Slippery Rock never trailed in the opener as McClymonds kept Pitt-Johnstown at bay while Koby Bubash drove in two runs as part of a 2-1 victory.
 
McClymonds scattered eight hits and one run over his seven innings of work while striking out four batters en route to his fourth victory of the year. He has now allowed just two runs over his last 12 innings pitched.
 
McClymonds did not find himself in trouble often Saturday, but when he did, he got out of jams unscathed, aside from a sixth-inning UPJ home run. All told, McClymonds stranded six Pitt-Johnstown base runners, including four that were in scoring position.
 
While Slippery Rock's offense was slowed down the majority of the day by Pitt-Johnstown starter Will Fetrow, it provided McClymonds with all the run support he needed in the second inning when Bubash drove a two-run, two-out double to left field that scored Trueman and Brown.
 
From there the game belonged to McClymonds, who proceeded to pitch three consecutive scoreless innings before Tyler Smith cut Slippery Rock's lead in half via a solo home run in the sixth inning. However, McClymonds bounced back from the homer by getting the final five outs of the game with relative ease to seal The Rock's win.
 
Bubash ended game one 1-for-2 with two RBI and a double while Trueman went 2-for-3 with a run and double. Robenolt and Brown accounted for SRU's other two hits with Brown also scoring a run and Robenolt stealing a base.
 
GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 9 – Pitt-Johnstown 6
Slippery Rock erased an early six-run deficit to pull off a spectacular 9-6 comeback victory over Pitt-Johnstown in game two to finish off Saturday's sweep and assure itself of a series split with the Mountain Cats.
 
Things seemed dire for The Rock early on as Pitt-Johnstown plated six runs in the top of the first to take what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. However, SRU's lineup proved why it is one of the most dangerous group of batters in the PSAC by battling back in the bottom of the frame to post seven runs of its own.
 
Abraham Mow began the rally with a leadoff triple that was followed by back-to-back RBI-doubles off the bats of Jon Kozarian and Connor Hamilton. Robenolt and Brown then reached by way of a single and walk to load the bases with no outs and Evan Knaus coming to bat.
 
Knaus further cut into UPJ's lead via a two-run single. Not to be out done, Trueman matched Knaus with a two-run hit of his own to tie the game at 6-6. Before relief pitcher Raymond Watt could get out of the inning, Colin Cain gave SRU a lead it never relinquished when belted a base hit down the right field line to score Trueman.
 
Slippery Rock went on to stretch its lead to 9-6 the following inning when Hamilton and Robenolt scored on wild pitches.
 
Holman, who came on for Rock starter JT Wolke with one out in the first inning, brought stability to the mound for SRU for the remainder of the game.
 
After battling through a tough opening inning of his own, he threw one wild pitch and allowed both of his inherited runners to score in the first, Holman recovered and proved to be great for The Rock over the next six innings as he surrendered just two hits and a pair of walks following the opening frame.
 
Holman allowed just one base runner over the final three innings and was never truly threatened as he shut down the Mountain Cats to secure a 9-6 game two victory.
 
In total, Holman picked up his first win of 2021 after giving three hits and two walks to go with a career-high nine strikeouts. Wolke was charged with allowing all six UPJ runs in 0.1 innings pitched.
 
Slippery Rock finished game two with nine hits. Robenolt and Knaus both went 2-for-4 with Knaus driving in two runs and Robenolt stealing two bases. Mow, Kozarian, Hamilton, Trueman and Cain all concluded game two with one hit apiece while Brown walked three times.
 
Additionally, Hamilton and Robenolt scored two runs each and the combination of Mow and Brown each stole one base.
 
UPJ starting pitcher Ben Briggs gave up six runs without recording an out before giving way to Watt (0-1), who gave up three runs in three innings pitched. Brady Walker threw the final three innings for the Mountain Cats without allowing a run and striking out six.
 
Slippery Rock will have a brief break before returning to PSAC West competition for a doubleheader April 27 at No. 7 Seton Hill University. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.



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