CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Behind great performances on the mound from Luke Trueman and Mark Wilbur, the Slippery Rock University baseball team earned a 2-0 victory against West Virginia State University Sunday at Go-Mart Park in Charleston, West Virginia.
 
The win, combined with Saturday's doubleheader split, gives The Rock a 2-1 series victory over the Yellow Jackets. Slippery Rock exits the weekend with an overall record of 7-3 while West Virginia State falls to 4-6.
 
As was the case all series, SRU once again received a great performance from its starting pitcher. After excellent outings in Saturday's doubleheader by Devin Dunn and Joey Purcell, it was Trueman's turn Sunday.
 
Trueman (2-1) pitched 7.2 shutout innings that included nine strikeouts on the way to his second win of the season. He scattered four hits and three walks over what was tied for the longest outing of his career. All told, Trueman allowed just one runner into scoring position over the entirety of his start.
 
Wilbur meanwhile came on with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth to get out of the inning without allowing a run before pitching a scoreless ninth en route to his first collegiate save.
 
In a game that was dominated by pitching, WVSU's Nick Lofits (1-3) and Colin Bryant also had strong days, The Rock and Yellow Jackets found their selves in scoreless game through four innings.
 
However, Slippery Rock was able to score what turned out to be the game-winning run in the fifth inning. With one out in the frame, Joseph Ehland produced his fourth triple of the season before scoring later in the inning courtesy of a Cam Panyko Morris single.
 
SRU went on to add an insurance run in the sixth when Jon Kozarian, who led off the inning with a single before stealing second, scored by way of a Noah Ross RBI-single.
 
Trueman protected the two-run lead with two more clean innings to take The Rock's 2-0 advantage into the eighth inning, which proved to be the Yellow Jackets' best chance for a run.
 
Trueman would strikeout the first two batters he faced in the eighth before a walk led to him being taken out of the game for Robert Herr after 121 pitches. WVSU went on to record a hit and a walk to load the bases and force Herr from the game for Wilbur.
 
Wilbur promptly got out of the bases-loaded jam by forcing Ryan Kay to hit a grounder to Kozarian, who smoothly made a throw to Koby Bubash at second base for the inning-ending force out.
 
Following a scoreless top of the ninth for The Rock, Wilbur worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning by registering three consecutive strikeouts to close out SRU's series-clinching victory.
 
Panyko Morris went 1-for-2 with one RBI and a walk to pace SRU's hitters in the game. Kozarian, Ross, Ehland and Alex Robenolt all collected hits as well with Robenolt joining Ehland with an extra-base hit of his own – a double in the eighth.
 
Colin Cain also reached base twice after drawing one walk and being intentionally walked once as well.
 
Loftis (1-3) took the loss for West Virginia State after giving up two runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. Bryant pitched the final three innings for WVSU, striking out five and allowing just one hit.
 
Slippery Rock will now look to win its third straight series when it hosts Wilmington University for three games March 17-19 at Jack Critchfield Park.




To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).