SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team opened the 2022 season in fine fashion Saturday as SRU picked up a doubleheader sweep over Davis & Elkins College at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
SRU (2-0) earned a 10-0 victory in the opener before closing the sweep with a 14-1 win in game two. The Rock's shutout in game one marked the first time SRU held a team scoreless in its season-opening game since beginning the 2015 campaign with a 5-0 win at King University.
 
Slippery Rock was firing on all cylinders Saturday. In addition to scoring 24 runs on 23 hits, 13 of which went for extra bases, SRU did not commit a single error in the field while the pitching trio of Devin Dunn (1-0), Luke Trueman (1-0) and Drew Delaney surrendered just eight hits in 62 at-bats and one earned run all the while combining for 21 strikeouts.
 
Of the 15 athletes to record an official at-bat for SRU Saturday, 12 produced hits led by near flawless performances from Connor Hamilton and Alex Robenolt.
 
Hamilton went 4-for-5 with five runs scored, two home runs four RBI, a double and three walks over the two games while Robenolt was 4-for-6 with three runs, two doubles, a triple, two walks and two RBI.
 
GAME ONE: SRU 10 – Davis & Elkins 0
Dunn made a great first impression on the mound while Hamilton blasted two home runs to pace The Rock in a 10-0 game-one victory against the Senators (3-6).
 
A graduate transfer from Virginia Commonwealth University, Dunn was virtually unhittable in his first start for Slippery Rock as he scattered two hits and two walks over seven shutout innings to go with 11 strikeouts.
 
With Dunn in firm control, Slippery Rock's bats quickly put the opener away with five runs in the second inning followed by two more in the fourth in addition to three insurance runs in the sixth to close out the 10-0 win.
 
Hamilton picked up right where he left off from his standout junior year in 2021, as the all-region catcher was 3-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and a double in game one.
 
The trio of Robenolt, Eddie Morris and Joel Spishock all tallied two hits in game one as well with Morris belting a two-run home run and Spishock providing The Rock with two doubles.
 
Abraham Mow and Jon Kozarian chipped in one hit apiece in the opener with Mow scoring twice and Kozarian driving in one with a triple. Anthony Cinicola and Joe Ehland rounded out The Rock's top performers in the opener with one RBI each.
 
Zachary McGillan (1-2) took the loss for D&E after surrendering five runs, only two of which were earned in two innings.
 
GAME TWO: SRU 14 – D&E 1
As was the case in game one, Slippery Rock once again combined early offense and great pitching to pull away with a 14-1 win in the nightcap.
 
SRU scored seven runs over the first three innings before closing the day with a seven-run outburst in the sixth en route to another double-digit win.
 
Trueman tossed 5.2 innings on the mound, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks to go with seven strikeouts before giving way to Delaney who struck out three and did not allow a run over 1.1 innings of relief work.
 
Evan Knaus highlighted The Rock's top performers in game two with one home run, four RBI, two runs scored and a walk.
 
Mow followed up a solid showing in game one by going 2-for-4 with two RBI in his spot atop Slippery Rock's batting order. Robenolt and Colin Cain produced matching 2-for-3, two-run, one-walk efforts as well with Robenolt hitting two doubles and driving in one run.  
 
Hamilton, Cinicola, Noah Ross and Koby Bubash posted hits as well. Additionally, Hamilton walked once and scored two runs. SRU totaled three stolen bases in game two courtesy of Cinicola, Ehland and Kozarian, who also scored twice.
 
McKinley Scott (1-2) was the pitcher of record of the Senators in game two. He gave up seven runs over four innings with three strikeouts.
 
Slippery Rock and Davis & Elkins close out the weekend series with two more games Sunday. First pitch at Jack Critchfield Park is scheduled for 1 p.m.







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