BUTLER, Pa. - Paced by a dominant day at the plate and on the mound by Luke Trueman, the Slippery Rock University baseball team recorded a doubleheader sweep against Clarion Saturday at Historic Pullman Park in Butler, Pennsylvania.
 
The Rock posted an 8-0 shutout in the opener before securing the sweep, and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division series victory, with an 8-2 win in game two.
 
With the wins, Slippery Rock improves its overall record on the year to 22-23 while Clarion ends the day at 12-33 in 2023.
 
As he has done the overwhelming majority of the year, Trueman had another great all-around day Saturday. At the plate, he was a combined 4-for-8 over the doubleheader with three runs scored, one home run and eight RBI to go with a complete-game shutout on the mound in game one.
 
Nearing the end of his Slippery Rock career, Trueman is batting .382 on the year with 25 runs, 10 home runs and 33 RBI while having gone 6-3 on the mound with a 2.08 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 69.1 innings pitched.

GAME ONE: SRU 8 – Clarion 0
Slippery Rock posted runs in four separate innings while Trueman stymied the Clarion batters on the way to an 8-0 shutout in game one.
 
For the game, Trueman gave up just five hits while striking out seven en route to his second complete-game shutout of the year all the while supplying the majority of SRU's offense in the form of a 2-for-4, one-run, one-home run, five-RBI day at the plate.
 
Adding to SRU's attack was Jon Kozarian, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and walk, as well as Alex Robenolt and Cam Panyko Morris with one hit apiece. Panyko Morris also drove in one run and stole one base.
 
Additionally, Braden Olson drew three walks with one run, Joey Purcell scored twice and Joseph Ehland stole his team-leading ninth base of the year.
 
Leading 1-0 through three innings, Slippery Rock put the game away in the fourth via a five-run inning that was capped off by a Trueman grand slam. SRU would go on to add its final run of the game an inning later by way of a Panyko Morris RBI-single.
 
The Golden Eagles never truly threatened Trueman, who did not allow a runner into scoring position until the sixth inning. Clarion managed just three hits off Trueman over the final four innings of play as The Rock claimed their fifth shutout of the year.
 
Reilly Shafer (1-4) was the pitcher of record for Clarion. he gave up six runs, all unearned, on three hits and four walks over four innings. Sam Rice and Joe Rossi threw the final three innings with Rice giving up two runs.

GAME 2: SRU 8 – Clarion 2
Slippery Rock closed out the sweep with an 8-2 victory in game two, giving SRU its first PSAC West series win of 2023 – SRU also split a doubleheader with Clarion on April 27.
 
Much like game one, SRU never trailed in the nightcap as The Rock tallied five runs over the second and third innings to take a lead that was never in doubt.
 
Robert Herr opened the scoring in the second with a two-run single that plated Olson and Colin Cain. Slippery Rock added three more runs in the third via a Trueman RBI-single, a Purcell run-scoring double and finally an Olson sacrifice fly.
 
While Clarion did score two runs in the fourth, Slippery Rock's batters provided the freshmen pitcher duo of Nate Malak (1-2) and reliver Michael Kitko three more additional insurance runs over the final two innings to close out a six-run victory.
 
Malak turned in his best collegiate performance to date Saturday as he earned his first win at SRU by allowing just two runs on five hits and a pair of walks in 5.1 innings pitched. Malak also matched his season-high in strikeouts with five.
 
Kitko took over for Malak with one out and two on in the sixth and proceeded to work out of the jam unscathed before retiring the Golden Eagles in order in the seventh inning. Kitko compiled three strikeouts in his 1.2 innings of shutout relief work.
 
Trueman, Purcell and Herr accounted for six of The Rock's nine hits in the win with a trio of two-hit performances that included Herr producing three RBI, Purcell driving in two of his own and Trueman extending his hitting streak to a team-high nine games.
 
Cain, Olson and Robenolt also had hits with Olson scoring twice, driving in one run and walking once as well. Ehland had one RBI and two walks from his spot atop SRU's batting order to round out the top Rock performers.
 
Clarion used two pitchers in game two. Starter Anthony Tucci (1-5) went three innings and gave up five runs before giving way to Ryan Gallagher, who allowed three runs in four innings.
 
Slippery Rock opens its final week of the regular season when it hosts Walsh University for a single nine-inning game 4 p.m. May 2 at Jack Critchfield Park.  




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