SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The No. 30 Slippery Rock University baseball team set a program record for consecutive wins to open a season following a doubleheader sweep of Saint Anselm College Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
SRU opened the day with a convincing 22-0 win in game one before overcoming a one-run deficit in game two to earn a 7-1 victory.
 
Saturday's sweep improves The Rock's record to 9-0 on the season overall. The nine straight wins represent the best start to a season in program history, surpassing the 2005 and 2013 Rock teams that won the first eight games of their respective seasons. Saint Anselm drops to 7-9 on the year following the loss.
 
On a day where The Rock produced 29 runs on 24 hits over the two games, Alex Robenolt was one of the many SRU batters to string together impressive performances. Robenolt went 6-for-9 on the day with four runs scored, three home runs and seven RBI in addition to a pair of doubles.
 
Connor Hamilton reached base six times over the doubleheader as The Rock's catcher finished the contests 3-for-6 with four runs scored, one home run, five RBI and three walks. Hamilton has now hit five home runs in Slippery Rock's first nine games.
 
Joe Ehland produced four hits in seven at-bats during the two games while Luke Trueman, Joel Spishock and Eddie Morris all homered throughout the day. Spishock and Morris are now tied with Robenolt for second on the team in home runs this year at three apiece.
 
As has been the case all year, Slippery Rock once again received a pair of excellent outings from starting pitchers Trueman (3-0) and Devin Dunn (3-0) as the duo pitched 13 of a possible 14 innings and allowed just one run to go with 18 total strikeouts.
 
GAME ONE: SRU 22 – STAC 0
Slippery Rock scored early and often while Dunn continued his early-season dominance on the mound en route to a 22-0 victory in the opener for what was the fifth largest margin of victory in program history.  
 
The 22 runs were also tied for the 11th highest single-game output at The Rock and represented the most runs scored by an SRU team since tallying 25 against Mansfield University in 2018.
 
Game one was never in question as SRU scored once in the first inning courtesy of a double by Jon Kozarian that scored Abraham Mow followed by a nine-run second inning that broke the game open.
 
Slippery Rock went on to score nine more runs in the fourth, once in the fifth and two final times in the sixth to finish off the offensive barrage.
 
While The Rock's batters were busy totaling 17 hits, Dunn was virtually unhittable on the mound. Over six innings, he struck out eight batters while giving up just three hits and a pair of walks. Dunn is yet to allow a run over his first three starts this season. He has surrendered just nine hits and four walks over his 20 innings pitched in 2022 to go with 27 strikeouts.
 
Ethan Edkins replaced Dunn in the seventh and proceeded to strikeout two batters in his first collegiate appearance to finish off the shutout.
 
Five different Rock players collected multiple hits in the opener led by Robenolt who was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two home runs, six RBI and a pair of doubles. His six RBI are tied for the most by a Rock batter this season; Mow also drove in six runs earlier in the year against Davis & Elkins College.
 
Kozarian went 2-for-4 with one run and three RBI courtesy of a double and a triple. Spishock posted a 2-for-3, three-run, two-RBI, one-home run effort while Ehland went 3-for-4 with two runs and Koby Bubash came through with two hits, three runs and one RBI.
 
Hamilton drove in two runs as part of a 1-for-3, two-walk outing and  Trueman belted his second home run in as many games to round out The Rock's top performers.
 
Adam Betty (1-2) was the pitcher of record for the Hawks in game one. He gave up 10 runs on eight hits and four walks in 1.2 innings.
 
GAME TWO: SRU 7 – STAC 1
Trueman and Saint Anselm Pitcher John Donovan engaged in a pitcher's duel over the first four innings of game two before The Rock's offense re-awoke to score seven unanswered runs as part of a 7-1 win in the nightcap.
 
SRU put runners on base in each of the first four innings, including loading the bases in the fourth, but in what was a stark contrast from game one, was unable to produce any runs early on. However, Trueman kept The Rock in the game by limiting the Hawks to only two hits over the first four innings.
 
Saint Anselm eventually scored the game's first run in the fifth inning by way of a high pop up by Enzo Merlonghi to shallow left-center that was lost by The Rock fielders on what was a very windy and often times rainy day, allowing Brady Doran to score from first base thus giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
 
However, the lead proved to be short-lived as SRU quickly plated three runs in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of a two-out home run to right field by Morris that came with Hamilton and Mow both on base to give The Rock a 3-1 advantage.
 
Slippery Rock went on to add four insurance runs in the sixth thanks to another three-run homer, this one off the bat of Hamilton, as well as a finial solo shot by Robenolt while Trueman threw two final scoreless innings to close out the 7-1 win.
 
 Trueman struck out 10 batters over the complete-game victory while scattering six hits and just one walk over seven innings.
 
Hamilton and Robenolt supplied SRU with two hits and one home run apiece with Hamilton compiling three RBI via his home run, scoring twice and walking once. Mow, Morris Ehland accounted for Slippery Rock's other three hits as Mow also scored two runs and Morris recorded his second home run of the series.
 
Donovan (0-4) took the loss for the Hawks after allowing three runs on five hits and five walks over five innings pitched. Avery Mosseau threw the sixth inning for Saint Anselm, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks.
 
Slippery Rock will look to maintain its perfect record and close out a series sweep of Saint Anselm in a nine-inning on Sunday. First pitch from Jack Critchfield Park is set for 12 p.m.
 
 




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