WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team was swept by California (Pa.) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader Friday at Wild Things Park in Washington, Pennsylvania.
 
SRU dropped the opener to the Vulcans, 6-1, before California completed the sweep with a tight 5-3 win in game two. The losses drop The Rock's record to 13-12 overall and 2-8 in the PSAC West while California improves to 12-11 overall and 3-7 in league games.
 
Slippery Rock was led over the doubleheader by Joseph Ehland and Noah Ross. Ehland went a combined 3-for-7 in the two games with one run scored and one stolen base while Ross, who is now hitting .390 on the year, was 3-for-6.
 
GAME ONE: Cal. 6 – SRU 1
Four consecutive California runs to open the day proved too much for SRU to overcome in an eventual 6-1 loss in game one.
 
The Rock totaled six hits in the opener with Ross and Ehland each going 2-for-3 to lead the way. Jon Kozarian and Robby Barrientos were both 1-for-2 as well with Kozarian collecting an RBI and Barrientos scoring once.
 
A pair of extra-base hits in the first inning resulted in one run for California before the Vulcans broke the game open in the second via a three-run frame.
 
SRU would cut into Cal's four-run lead with a run of its own in the third courtesy of a Kozarian sacrifice fly that plated Barrientos from third, but California answered in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs before pitcher Ramon Gill proceeded to toss four straight shutout innings to close out California's five-run win.
 
Devin Dunn (2-3) took the loss on the mound for Slippery Rock after giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits and one walk over 2.2 innings. Parker Hogge came on in place of Dunn in the third to throw 2.2 shutout innings while scattering one hit and three walks before giving way to Zach Wilson, who recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
 
Gill (1-1) pitched a complete-game for California and leadoff hitter Santino Marra went 3-for-3 with one run, one RBI and a walk.
 
GAME TWO: Cal 5 – SRU 3
California was able to parlay two more early runs into a 5-3 sweep-clinching victory over Slippery Rock in game two.
 
The Rock's game-two middle infielder tandem of Koby Bubash and Braden Olson combined to post matching 2-for-4, one-RBI, one-double stat lines while Evan Knaus hit a home run, his second of the season.
 
Ehland and Ross also produced base hits with Ehland scoring a run and stealing a base as well.
 
Joey Purcell (0-4) was the pitcher of record for SRU in game two. He gave up four runs, three earned, on eight hits and one walk to go with three strikeouts in four innings. Jake Norris pitched two innings out of SRU's bullpen, allowing one unearned run.
 
California scored twice in the first inning to take a lead it would ultimately never relinquish.
 
Slippery Rock would keep the contest close throughout the duration of the game. In the third inning, Bubash cut SRU's deficit in half via an RBI-double that drove in Ehland from second base. While the Vulcans would get that run back in the bottom of the frame, Slippery Rock once again responded an inning later thanks to Knaus' solo homer to make it a 3-2 contest.
 
However, a comeback was not to be as the Vulcans scored one run in both the fourth and fifth innings while limiting SRU to just one run in the seventh with reliever Jake Kramer coming on with two outs in final frame and stranding two Rock baserunners to close the contest.
 
Jackson Miller (1-0) took the win for California after allowing two runs over four innings. Justin Naylor served as the bridge between Miller and Kramer with 2.2 innings of relief work. He gave up one run and two hits before exiting in favor of Kramer for the game's final out.
 
Slippery Rock will look to earn a series split with California when it hosts the Vulcans for a doubleheader Saturday at Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
 
 
 


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