SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team suffered its first loss of the 2023 season Saturday in a 3-1 defeat at Shippensburg University.
 
Slippery Rock now enters Sunday's doubleheader against Shippensburg with a 1-1 overall record while the host Raiders will begin the day at 8-3.
 
Pitching took center stage Saturday as The Rock's duo of Luke Trueman (0-1) and Robert Herr were great for the overwhelming majority of the day as wash Shippensburg's Gabe Stotler (3-0).
 
In his first start of the season, Trueman went 6.2 innings, scattering three runs on seven hits while striking out six batters. Herr came on in relief of Trueman in the seventh and proceeded to hold the Raiders without a hit while yielding just one walk over 1.1 innings.
 
Stotler countered The Rock's hurlers by throwing a complete game four-hitter that included five strikeouts. His lone run allowed was unearned.
 
Alex Robenolt, who hit a game-winning home run in The Rock's season-opening victory against Shippensburg on Friday, continued his hot start to the season by accounting for half of SRU's hits in a 2-for-4 performance.
 
Jon Kozarian and Colin Cain both had hits as well while Eddie Morris and Joey Purcell each walked once with Purcell scoring The Rock's run.
 
Shippensburg did most of its damage in what turned out to be a decisive opening inning as Austin Baal and Morgan Wyatt produced back-to-back run-scoring singles before Trueman was able to get out of the inning with a strikeout.
 
Trueman settled in following the first by retiring Shippensburg's batters in order for each of the following four innings.  
 
With SRU still trailing by two runs to start the sixth inning, Purcell drew a leadoff walk before advancing to second on a fielding error. A Kozarian single then moved Purcell to third. Purcell would score one batter later, but it was costly as the Raiders were able to turn a double play.
 
Stotler surrendered another hit in the inning, but limited the damage by getting out of the jam with a strikeout to maintain the Raiders' 2-1 lead. Shippensburg would push its advantage back out to two runs in the bottom of the inning courtesy of another RBI-single from Baal.
 
Any further Rock comeback efforts were thwarted with Stotler finishing off his third win of the year by allowing just one baserunner over the remainder of the game: Cain made his way to third in the seventh, but was stranded in what turned out to be SRU's last good chance at a run in the eventual two-run defeat.
 
Slippery Rock and Shippensburg are scheduled to play a doubleheader Sunday with first pitch of game one beginning at 12 p.m.
 
 
 
 
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