SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Koby Bubash scored on a hard-hit ball off the bat of Jon Kozarian to give the Slippery Rock University baseball team a 4-3 victory over Shippensburg University in 10 innings Wednesday on day one of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
With the win, Slippery Rock improves to 33-14 on the season overall. The Rock now advances to day two of the PSAC Tournament where they will play the winner of Wednesday's Millersville - Cal U game 10 a.m. Thursday.
 
Shippensburg ends its season with an overall record of 26-23 following the close loss.
 
With the game tied at 3-3 entering the bottom of the 10th inning, Bubash reached base on a bunt before advancing to third on a Joe Ehland sacrifice bunt and an Abraham Mow groundout to give SRU the potential game-winning run on third with Kozarian coming to the plate.
 
Kozarian ripped the third pitch of the at bat to Shippensburg's shortstop who made an errant throw to the first base while Kozarian did a great job to slide around an attempted tag by the first baseman as Bubash crossed home plate to give SRU the walk-off win.
 
Bubash accounted for two of The Rock's four runs as he was 2-for-4 with two runs, one home run and one RBI. His great day at the PSAC Tournament continued a streak of nine multi-hit games in his last 10 contests.
 
Kozarian ended the day with one hit and two RBI, including being responsible for the game-winning run. Connor Hamilton, Luke Trueman and Ehland all had hits as well with Hamilton driving in one run as well.
 
Devin Dunn battled his way through six innings, striking out seven batters while scattering three runs on five hits and two walks before exiting the game in the seventh inning.
 
Andy McClymonds came on for Dunn in the seventh inning with runners on first and second and no outs, but did a great job getting out the jam unharmed. McClymonds went on to pitch 2.1 shutout innings before giving way to Ricky Mineo.
 
Like McClymonds, Mineo came on with a runner in scoring position only to get out of the jam without allowing a run. Mineo picked up the win with two strikeouts and no hits allowed in 1.2 innings. The victory improved Mineo's record to 6-3 on the year.
 
Shippensburg scored runs in each of the opening two innings as the Raiders converted on a pair of bloop hits in the first before taking advantage of a Rock fielding error in the second to take an early 2-0 lead.
 
Meanwhile, Raider pitcher Nick Zegna shut SRU down over the first two innings before The Rock's bats came alive in the third inning with four hits, including back-to-back RBI-singles from Kozarian and Hamilton, to tie the game up through three innings.
 
The game remained tied heading into the sixth inning when Shippensburg scored a go-ahead run only for SRU to respond in the bottom of the seventh by way of Bubash's solo home run which tied the contest.
 
Zegna and The Rock's duo of relievers went on to trade scoreless innings heading into the bottom of the 10th. Zegna was taken out in favor of Jackson Lobianco with one out in the final inning prior to SRU taking advantage of Shippensburg's two errors in the frame for the walk-off win.
 
Zegna struck out 13 batters over 9.1 innings pitched with three runs allowed on six hits and one walk. Lobianco took the loss after giving up one run.
 
Slippery Rock is now 3-0 in extra-inning games this season.
 
Thursday's game against either Millersville or Cal U will begin the double elimination portion of the tournament as the loser of the contest can still play its way to a league title.
 
Slippery Rock and Cal U split a four-game series earlier in the season. The Rock and Millersville did not meet in the regular season.




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