SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team was swept in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader on the road Thursday against Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Both games were close contests in which Pitt-Johnstown (17-30, 10-16 PSAC West) was able to prevail over The Rock (22-26, 7-19 PSAC West) 2-0 in the opener and 4-3 in game two.
 
Alex Robenolt and Noah Ross each collected two hits over the doubleheader with Ross hitting his second home run of the season and Robenolt registering a double.

GAME ONE: UPJ 2 – SRU 0
The opener of Wednesday's doubleheader was a pitcher's duel between The Rock's Joey Purcell and Pitt-Johnstown's Ben Briggs in which UPJ was ultimately able to come out on top of with a 2-0 win.
 
Neither Purcell or Briggs were threatened for the majority of the game as Purcell gave up just three hits and a walk over six innings in addition to the two runs while striking out seven countered by Briggs' complete-game four-hit, one-walk shutout.
 
Purcell carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning before Dylan Broderick led off the inning with a single only to be stranded at first to preserve the scoreless contest.
 
SRU's first legitimate chance to score on the day came in the fifth when Ross led off the inning with a single before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Braden Olson to put a runner in scoring position with one out. However, Briggs got out of the potential jam by forcing consecutive outs to strand Ross and keep the game in a 0-0 tie.
 
After Briggs once again stranded a runner at second in the top of the sixth, the Mountain Cats finally got to Purcell in the bottom of the frame as Asheer Corl hit a two-out, two-run single.
 
Robenolt would attempt a late rally courtesy of leadoff double in the seventh, but Briggs  worked out of trouble for a final time with a pair of flyouts accompanied by a game-ending strikeout on the way to a two-run win.
 
The Rock's four hits in game one was spread out amongst Robenolt, Ross, Jon Kozarian and Darryn Callahan with Robenolt's being his 17th extra-base hit of 2023 and Kozarian also drawing a walk and stealing one base.

GAME TWO: UPJ 4 – SRU 3
The Rock produced three solo home runs in game two, but in the end it was a Pitt-Johnstown solo shot that proved to be the difference in a 4-3 UPJ win.
 
Trailing 1-0 after two innings, Olson launched a leadoff home run, his first of the season, to open the third inning followed in the fourth by a two-out blast from Ross to give The Rock a 2-1 lead at the midway point of the game.
 
The Mountain Cats answered SRU's homers in the fifth inning as Broderick, who walked to open the frame before moving to third on a stolen base and a single, scored on a Corl groundout to tie the game before Pitt-Johnstown scored a go-ahead run later in the inning via a balk.
 
Slippery Rock tied the game for a final time in the sixth when Luke Trueman launched his team-high 11th home run of the year, but a complete comeback was not to be. Trueman's homer proved to be SRU's final hit of the game while Broderick drove a 2-2 pitch to lead off the seventh over the right field wall to secure the 4-3 walk-off win.
 
Parker Hogge made his third start of the season for The Rock on the mound, going 4.1 innings with three runs allowed on five hits and four walks to go with four strikeouts. Reliver Jake Norris (3-2) took the loss after surrendering one run in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.
 
In addition to the home runs by Trueman, Olson and Ross, Robenolt also accounted for a hit.
 
Rodney Shultz improved to 7-2 on the year for Pitt-Johnstown following his complete-game three-run, eight-strikeout outing. Broderick went 3-for-3 with three runs, a double and his game-winning home run.
 
Slippery Rock and Pitt-Johnstown will close out their 2023 seasons with a final PSAC West doubleheader Friday at Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
 
Friday will also serve as The Rock's Senior Day. Prior to game one, SRU's 2023 senior class of Robenolt, Kozarian, Trueman, Devin Dunn, Colin Cain, Evan Knaus and Tanner Esposito will be recognized for their contributions to the program over their careers.




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