ERIE, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team was swept in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader by Gannon University Monday at McConnell Family Field in Erie, Pennsylvania.
 
The Golden Knights earned a 7-3 victory in game one before completing the sweep with a 5-4 win in game two. Gannon scored 11 of its 12 runs on the day in just two innings.
 
The losses drop The Rock's record to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in PSAC West competition while Gannon improves to 6-6 overall and 4-2 in league games.
 
Slippery Rock was led on the day by the duo of Jon Kozarian and Connor Hamilton. Kozarian went 5-for-6 with one run scored, two RBI, two walks and two doubles over the doubleheader. Hamilton was 4-for-7 with one run, one RBI and a walk.
 
GAME ONE: Gannon 7 – Slippery Rock 3
The Golden Knights jumped out to an early seven-run lead and was able to keep The Rock's offense in check the rest of the way en route to a 7-3 game-one victory.
 
Kozarian went 3-for-3 with one run and a walk to pace SRU in the opener. Hamilton was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI as well while Vince Donato scored one run and drove in another. Alex Robenolt and Anthony Cinicola accounted for SRU's other two hits in game one.
 
Brandon Wetherholt hit a two-out home run in the first inning to give Gannon the early lead. The Golden Knights went on to break the contest open in the third by taking advantage of a pair of Rock errors, two infield hits and back-to-back two-run doubles as part of a six-run frame that gave GU a 7-0 lead.
 
Slippery Rock got two runs back in the fourth thanks to an RBI-single from Hamilton and a sacrifice fly by Donato that allowed Hamilton to score followed by another run in the sixth as Donato scored on a Gannon fielding error to cut The Rock's deficit to four runs at 7-3.
 
However, a comeback was not to be as Golden Knight pitchers Eric Sapp and Benjamin Visnesky were able to strand two Rock runners on base in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to seal the win.
 
Sapp (3-1) scattered three runs, six hits and four walks over six innings while registering six strikeouts for the Golden Knights. Visnesky came on to pitch a scoreless seventh inning.
 
Luke Trueman (2-2) was the pitcher of record for The Rock. He gave up seven runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits in three innings to go with four strikeouts. JT Wolke came on in relief of Trueman and ended the game by throwing three shutout innings while giving up just two hits and a single walk.
 
GAME TWO: Gannon 5 – Slippery Rock 4
Slippery Rock appeared poised to salvage the day and earn a doubleheader split in game two, but Gannon erased a four-run deficit and completed the comeback in an eventual 5-4 win.
 
In a turn of reverse fortune from the opener, Slippery Rock got out to an early multi-run lead in game two after Kozarian laced a two-run double down the left field line in the third inning followed by a two-run home run from Eddie Morris in the fourth inning.
 
However, Gannon answered back in fifth inning. After being completely shut down by starting pitcher Christian Seelhorst for four innings, the Golden Knights scored their first run of the game via four straight walks to force Seelhorst from the game in favor of Andy McClymonds. GU would score five runs in the frame capped off by a two-run single from Adam Malecki before McClymonds was able to get The Rock out of the inning.
 
Slippery Rock's leadoff hitter reached base in both the sixth and seventh innings by way of hits from Trueman and Kozarian, but Gannon was able to get out of both innings unscathed to preserve the one-run win.
 
Morris' home run was his team-leading fourth of the season. Through the first 16 at-bats of his collegiate career, Morris has provided The Rock with six hits, five runs scored and eight RBI in addition to his aforementioned four home runs.
 
Kozarian went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI in game two. Hamilton and Abraham Mow added matching 2-for-4 performances with Mow also scoring one run while Trueman, Robenolt and Koby Bubash rounded out SRU's top performers with one hit apiece.
 
Seelhorst (2-1) gave up four runs on one hit and four walks over four innings while also striking out seven batters in the defeat. McClymonds pitched the final two innings out of The Rock's bullpen, giving up one run on four hits.
 
Slippery Rock and Gannon will finish off its four-game PSAC West series with a doubleheader Tuesday at Jack Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
 


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