SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The No. 18 Slippery Rock University baseball team split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader against Pitt-Johnstown Friday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
Slippery Rock cruised to a 12-0 victory over Pitt-Johnstown in game one before having its 11-game winning streak come to an end when a late rally fell just short in a 5-4 game two loss. The Rock's 11 straight wins matched sixth longest winning streak in program history.
 
Friday's split moves The Rock's record to 29-10 overall and 14-8 in the PSAC West while the Mountain Cats leave Slippery Rock at 17-23 overall and 5-17 in league play.
 
With six conference games remaining in the regular season, SRU enters Saturday's doubleheader at UPJ tied for second in the PSAC West standings with Mercyhurst and a half game behind Gannon for first place. The top four teams in the PSAC West at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the conference tournament.
 
Connor Hamilton led The Rock's offensive efforts Friday by going a combined 3-for-6 with four runs scored, two home runs, three RBI and one walk. Through 39 games this season, Hamilton is hitting .416 with a .528 on-base percentage, 47 runs scored, 13 home runs and 39 RBI.
 
Hamilton is now tied for fifth place in Slippery Rock single-season home run history.
 
Joel Spishock went 3-for-7 for the doubleheader as well with one RBI and a walk while leadoff hitter Abraham Mow added hits both games in addition to scoring twice and walking once.
 
GAME ONE: SRU 12 – UPJ 0
Devin Dunn worked quick in a dominant showing on the mound while The Rock's bats posted nine extra-base hits, including three home runs, on the way to a 12-0 victory over the Mountain Cats in the opener.
 
Slippery Rock set the tone for the game with four runs in the first inning. SRU went on to tally runs in four of the next five innings en route to the shutout win.
 
Dunn allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out five batters in the complete-game shutout that improved his record to 8-1 on the season. Dunn is now one of just six Rock pitchers – along with Steve Norris (2003), Mike Sikorski (2003), Lou Trivino (2012), Vince Lloyd (2009) and Preston Falascino (2017) - to win eight or more games in a season over the last 20 years.
 
While he didn't need it, Dunn received a massive amount of support from The Rock's offense which recorded their 13th double-digit run output of the season thanks to 14 hits.
 
Alex Robenolt continued what has already been a stellar week at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, one home run and five RBI in game one. Robenolt, who leads SRU with 50 RBI in 2022, has driven in 14 runs and hit four home runs over his last four games played.   
 
Hamilton went 2-for-3 with three runs and a solo home run while Luke Trueman also belted a home run, his seventh of the year. Eddie Morris and Koby Bubash had matching two-hit, one-double, one-RBI games as well.
 
Mow, Jon Kozarian and Colin Cain all added doubles with Cain driving in a pair of runs with his latest extra-base hits.
 
Rodney Shultz (2-4) gave up eight runs over four innings in the loss for UPJ.
 
GAME TWO: UPJ 5 – SRU 4
Slippery Rock was unable to finish off the doubleheader sweep as the Mountain Cats staved off a late SRU comeback bid to earn a 5-4 victory in game two.
 
Pitt-Johnstown scored four straight runs in the nightcap before The Rock began to chip away at the lead.
 
Evan Knaus started the rally by scoring from first base on a UPJ fielding error in the second. An inning later, Hamilton crushed a shot over the left field wall with Kozarian on base to trim the Mountain Cats' lead to one run.
 
However, UPJ tacked on what turned out to be an important insurance run in the sixth via a home run by Garrett Prosper to give itself a 5-3 lead the Mountain Cats would take into the bottom of the seventh.
 
Down to their final three outs, Robenolt led off the seventh by taking advantage of an errant UPJ throw on a dropped third strike. One out later, Robenolt took second base on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI-double by Spishock. However, SRU's hopes of a comeback were dashed one batter later.
 
Knaus, who nearly hit a home run earlier in his at-bat on a shot that went just foul, belted a hard-hit ball that seemed poised to safely get through to left field, but Pitt-Johnstown shortstop Mario Disso made a great diving grab and proceeded to make a throw to second that narrowly beat Spishock back to the bag for the game-ending out.
 
Spishock went 2-for-3 in game two with one RBI, a double and a walk. Hamilton was 1-for-3 with one run, one home run, two RBI and walk. Mow and Joe Ehland accounted for The Rock's other hits with Ehland also stealing one base.
 
Trueman (5-3) was the pitcher of record for The Rock after allowing five runs on 11 hits while striking out six batters. Andy McClymonds came on for Trueman in the sixth and proceeded to pitch 1.1 shutout innings of relief.
 
UPJ relief pitcher Taylor Squiric (3-4) took over for Seth Shuey in the fourth. Squiric went on to give up just one unearned run while posting seven strikeouts over the final 3.2 innings to earn the win.
 
Slippery Rock and UPJ close out their four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday at Pitt-Johnstown. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
 
 
 
 
 

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