SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team opened the home portion of its 2023 schedule in fine fashion Saturday with a doubleheader sweep against Alliance University at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
Slippery Rock earned the non-conference sweep behind a pair of 7-0 and 24-4 victories. The two wins improve SRU's record to 4-2 on the season overall. The Warriors drop to 1-8 in 2023 following the losses.
 
While The Rock's explosive offense took centerstage for much of Saturday, it was pitcher Devin Dunn who had the top individual performance. Dunn was dominant in his game-one start as he threw a complete-game two hit shutout that included 10 strikeouts.
 
On a day in which Slippery Rock recorded 33 hits over the two games, 12 of the 13 SRU athletes that recorded official at-bats ended the doubleheader with at least one hit.
 
Speedy centerfielder Joseph Ehland went a combined 4-for-5 with five runs scored, five RBI and three walks over the doubleheader. Of his four hits three were of the extra-base variety with two triples and a double.
 
Luke Trueman belted four doubles in addition to hitting his first home run of the season. Jon Kozarian also produced five RBI while scoring five runs over the two games in which he went 5-for-9 with one stolen base.
 
Koby Bubash reached base seven total times via a 4-for-6 day at the plate to go with two walks and being hit by a pitch once all the while scoring four runs and driving in four more. Alex Robenolt had hits in both games as well, going 3-for-7 with three runs and four RBI.

GAME ONE: SRU 7 – AU 0
Dunn (1-0) was nearly unhittable as he led Slippery Rock to a 7-0 shutout victory in game one.
 
The Rock's ace allowed just two Alliance hitters into scoring position all game en route to his sixth complete game in the last two seasons. Dunn's 10-strikeouts in the victory marked the third time in his Slippery Rock career in which he registered double-digit strikeouts in a single outing.
 
Dunn and his counterpart, Oliver Hernandez, traded scoreless innings to open the game as The Rock and Warriors headed into the fourth inning in a 0-0 tie.
 
Dunn cruised through the fourth inning by forcing AU into three consecutive groundouts to Bubash at second base, leading to The Rock's offense coming alive in the bottom of the frame.
 
After giving up a leadoff single to Robenolt, Hernandez appeared poised to match Dunn once again as he regrouped to strikeout the next two batters. However, Trueman proceeded to hit a towering shot over the centerfield wall to give The Rock a two-run lead.
 
While Slippery Rock's hitters would provide Dunn with five insurance runs in the sixth, Trueman's home run would have been more than enough for the senior hurler who closed out the win by throwing seven more strikeouts with just one hit allowed over the final three innings.
 
Trueman and Kozarian were both 2-for-4 in the opener. Trueman scored two runs with two RBI courtesy of his 14th career homer while Kozarian also had two RBI.
 
Bubash, Robenolt, Ehland, Colin Cain, Robby Barrientos and Joey Purcell collected hits as well in game one with Cain driving in two runs and Purcell drawing a pair of walks.
 
Hernandez (0-3) pitched 5.1 innings for Alliance, giving up six runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out four. Matthias Glaesel accounted for the final two outs of the sixth in relief of Hernandez, giving up one run on a hit and a walk.
 
GAME TWO: SRU 24 – AU 4
Slippery Rock scored early and often as SRU posted runs in seven of its eight trips to the plate as part of a 24-4 victory in game two. The Rock's 24 runs in the nightcap is tied for the fifth highest single-game total in program history.
 
With the game tied at 3-3 entering the bottom of the second, Slippery Rock went on to score an impressive 17 consecutive runs over the following four innings to break the game open.
 
Slippery Rock recorded 23 hits in game two for what was its highest hit output since registering 23 April 29, 2018 against California (Pa.) – a span of 155 games.
 
Ehland led the way in game two as he went 3-for-4 with four runs, five RBI two walks and two triples. Noah Ross, SRU's catcher in game two, had the best game of his career as well with a 5-for-6, four-run, one-RBI showing.
 
Kozarian, Bubash and Trueman tallied three hits apiece. Kozarian went 3-for-5 with four runs, three RBI and a stolen base. Bubash followed with a 3-for-4, three-run, four-RBI performance that included two doubles and one walk. Trueman was 3-for-6 by way of three doubles.
 
Robenolt added two hits, three RBI and two runs as well while Braden Olson, Darryn Callahan, Evan Knaus and Caelan Bender each earned one hit. Olson also scored three runs, Knaus and Callahan drove in two runs while Bender's hit was the first of his collegiate career.
 
Not to be overshadowed by what was one of the top offensive games in program history was the strong efforts on the mound of Purcell, Robert Herr, Tanner Esposito and Eoin Rossman.
 
Purcell started the game and went four innings. He gave up three runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits and three walks while throwing a career-high eight strikeouts.
 
Herr (2-0) came on for Purcell in the fifth and pitched two shutout innings with three strikeouts before giving way to Esposito who scattered one run in two innings of work with five strikeouts. Rossman closed out the contest with a perfect ninth inning.
 
Bartolo Rodriguez (0-1) was the pitcher of record Alliance. He gave up eight runs on five hits and walk before being taken out of the game in the second inning.
 
Slippery Rock and Alliance will conclude their three-game series with a nine-inning contest Sunday at Jack Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
 
 



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