SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -  The Slippery Rock University baseball team continued its push towards the postseason by completing a series sweep of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division foe Indiana University (Pa.) Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
The Rock took the opener from the Crimson Hawks, 5-0, before finishing off the doubleheader with a 6-1 win in game two. The victories improve SRU's record to 23-14 overall and 14-12 in the PSAC West.
 
With just a Sunday doubleheader against Clarion left on its schedule, Slippery Rock heads into the final day of the regular season in control of its own postseason destiny. If SRU sweeps Clarion in the doubleheader it would clinch one of the four spots in the PSAC Tournament available to Western Division teams.
 
Seton Hill and Mercyhurst have both already secured berths into the PSAC Tournament while The Rock, Gannon and California (Pa.) are all still in contention for the final two spots. Gannon and Cal U both finished their respective seasons with 16 league wins. If SRU were to sweep Clarion Sunday it would move into a three-way tie with the Golden Knights and Vulcans.
 
Per the PSAC's rules on seeding for the 2021 season, if teams are tied in total wins in mandated league play the next tiebreaker is total wins in head-to-head league play. Slippery Rock has five wins over Gannon and California. Cal U has four over SRU and Gannon while GU only has three wins over The Rock and Vulcans.
 
All this adds up to mean that if Slippery Rock sweeps its doubleheader against Clarion, then SRU and Cal U would earn the third and fourth berths into the PSAC Tournament out of the Western Division while Gannon would be eliminated from postseason contention.
 
Saturday's sweep of IUP was highlighted by great efforts on the mound from game one starter Andy McClymonds (4-1), who threw a complete-game shutout, and reliver JT Wolke (3-2), who pitched six scoreless innings out of The Rock's bullpen in game two.
 
Jon Kozarian put together a 4-for-8 showing at the plate over the doubleheader that included one run scored, one stolen base, two RBI and his sixth home run of the season.
 
Luke Trueman posted a 3-for-7 day at the plate with three runs scored and two doubles. Joel Spishock had two RBI on two hits while scoring three times and walking twice. Connor Hamilton was the fourth Rock batter with hits in both games as The Rock's catcher collected a base hit in both contests in addition to tallying his first stolen base of 2021.
 
GAME ONE: Slippery Rock 5 – Indiana 0
McClymonds stymied IUP hitters for the duration of game one while Slippery Rock's offense turned a monster fourth inning into a 5-0 SRU victory in the opener.
 
In what was arguably his best, and most important, collegiate start, McClymonds scattered six hits and no walks over seven innings of work while striking out six batters as part of his second career complete game.
 
McClymonds was never truly threatened by IUP's batters as he did not allow a baserunner past second and only put multiple Crimson Hawks on base simultaneously once in the sixth inning before promptly getting out of trouble by inducing the inning's third out.
 
While McClymonds was in firm control on the mound, Slippery Rock's offense went to work on getting its starter a lead. After leaving runners on base in each of the first three innings, The Rock finally broke through in what turned out to be a decisive fourth frame.
 
With one out, Trueman drove a double to right field before scoring one batter later by way of Spishock's single up the middle. SRU went on to load the bases for Abraham Mow, who delivered a clutch two-out bases-clearing double. Kozarian capped off the inning for SRU by shooting a single to left field that plated Mow and gave The Rock a 5-0 lead.
 
The five-run advantage proved to be more than enough for McClymonds, who surrendered just two hits over the game's final four innings as he secured The Rock's second shutout of the year.
 
Kozarian registered his 15th multi-hit game of the season in the opener, going 3-for-4 with one RBI, a double and his team-leading seventh stolen base of the year. Trueman collected a multi-hit game of his own by way of a 2-for-4 outing.
 
Mow, Hamilton, Spishock, Quentin Brown and Nick Reynosa were responsible for The Rock's other five hits with Mow racking up three RBI as well.
 
Sean Furlong (0-2) gave up five runs on eight hits in four innings on the mound for IUP. Leadoff hitter Chris Eisel was responsible for two of the Crimson Hawks' five hits.
 
GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 6 – Indiana 1
In what was another must-win game, Slippery Rock parlayed a great outing on the mound by Wolke with big time offensive production from its middle infielder duo into a 6-1 victory over IUP to finish off the series sweep.
 
Slippery Rock trailed 1-0 after the first inning, but rallied back by scoring two runs in the second, fourth and fifth while Wolke came on for starting pitcher Ricky Mineo to pitch six shutout innings en route to the victory.
 
SRU captured a lead it would never relinquish with a pair of runs in the second inning when Bubash slipped a single to right field with the bases loaded to score Brown and Spishock. The Rock struck again in the fourth when Trueman scored on a wild pitch and Bubash once again delivered via an RBI-double to stretch The Rock's lead to 4-0.
 
Slippery Rock added a pair of insurance runs the following inning thanks to Kozarian blasting a leadoff home run and Spishock coming through with an RBI-double.
 
While The Rock's offense was doing their part, Woke did not allow a hit in his first two innings pitched out of the bullpen before working himself out of a two-on, no-out and two-out bases-loaded jams in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively, prior to registering three straight outs in the seventh to close out the win.
 
Wolke improved to 3-2 on the season after an outing in which he ultimately scattered four hits and two walks while striking out five batters in six scoreless innings. Mineo gave up one run and struck out one batter in his lone inning pitched.
 
Bubash was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a double as he extended his reached base streak to career-high 11 games. Kozarian, Hamilton, Trueman and Spishock all had one hit apiece with Koarian's coming by way of his solo home run. Spishock also walked two times.
 
Ian Logue (0-3) was the pitcher of record of IUP after giving up two runs in three innings. Eisel once again had a solid game for IUP at the plate with two extra base hits.
 
Slippery Rock will close out the regular season with a conference tournament bid on the line Sunday against Clarion at Jack Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.
 
 
 
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