JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team finished its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division series of the season in fine fashion Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Slippery Rock recorded a 6-0 shutout against the Mountain Cats in game one before finishing off the sweep with a 5-4 victory in game two. The wins give SRU a 3-1 series advantage over UPJ.
 
SRU exits the weekend with an 11-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark inside the PSAC West while Pitt-Johnstown falls to 9-12 overall and 1-3 in league games.
 
Koby Bubash was one of three Rock athletes to register hits in both games Saturday. SRU's senior second baseman went a combined 4-for-6 at the plate with one run scored, four RBI and two walks.
 
Gage Gillott and Michael Kitko continued their standout 2024 seasons with two more solid performances.
 
Gillott went 5-for-8, including one triple, with three runs and two RBI. Kitko was 3-for-7 with two runs, two RBI and walk. GIllott is currently on a 10-game hitting streak while Kitko has hit safely in eight consecutive games in addition to reaching base in each of his last 11 appearances.
 
On the heels of his efforts in a combined no-hitter on March 17, Joey Purcell was once again great on the mound Saturday. The reigning PSAC West Pitcher of the Week threw a two-hit shutout in the opener and then went 2-for-4 in the batter's box during game two.
 
GAME ONE: SRU 6 – UPJ 0
Purcell turned in another gem of a pitching performance and Bubash totaled four RBI in a 6-0 shutout victory for SRU over the Mountain Cats in game one.
 
Purcell pitched his first complete game of the season in dominant fashion as he limited Pitt-Johnstown to just two hits and one walk while tossing eight strikeouts. Slippery Rock's bats came alive to help Purcell by producing 12 hits for what was SRU's fourth double-digit hit performance of the season.
 
Bubash went 3-for-4. His four RBI were a season-best. Gillott was a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI as well. Kitko and Eddie Morris both went 2-for-4 with Morris scoring twice and Kitko driving in a run and scoring another. Darryn Callahan registered The Rock's remaining hit.
 
Braden Olson, who scored one run in the opener, also reached base twice by way of a pair of walks.
 
Bubash drove in runs in the first and third innings to give The Rock a lead they would never surrender.
 
The early run support was more than enough for Purcell, who gave up just two runners into scoring position all game. He did not allow a hit over the opening 3.2 innings of the game.
 
UPJ's best chance for a run came in the fourth inning when a walk and a single put runners on first and third with two outs. However, Purcell forced a groundout to first base to end the threat.
 
The Rock and Mountain Cats proceeded to trade scoreless innings heading into the seventh where SRU put the game away via a four-run frame that featured back-to-back RBI singles from Gillott and Kitko followed by Bubash capping off the big inning with a two-run base hit of his own.
 
Purcell finished out the victory by registering two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh before working round a hit and a throwing error with a game-ending flyout.
 
Seth Shuey (1-1) was the pitcher of record for Pitt-Johnstown. He gave up two runs over four innings on six hits and one walk. Relievers Garrett Holzapfel and Zach Myers allowed two runs apiece out of the UPJ bullpen.
 
GAME TWO: SRU 5 – UP 4
Slippery Rock battled back from an early three-run deficit to down the Mountain Cats, 5-4, in game two and finish off the doubleheader sweep in the process.
 
After Pitt-Johnstown scored three runs without making an out in the first inning, Robert Herr (2-0) made an emergency relief appearance and proceeded to effectively shut down the Mountain Cats. Herr went on to pitch five innings, scattering one run on five hits and three walks while striking out six batters in his second win of the season.
 
Gino Marra produced two nearly flawless innings after replacing Herr in the sixth for the save.
 
Paced by matching 2-for-4 performances at the plate by Purcell and Noah Ross, a well-balanced offensive attack led to The Rock tallying 10 hits in the nightcap.
 
Gillott, Kitko, Bubash, Butler, Robby Barrientos and Cam Panyko Morris all had hits as well in game two with Bubash also drawing a pair of walks. SRU's five runs were drove in by five different batters.
 
Pitt-Johnstown would get a run back in the fourth to once again pull even with SRU at 4-4 following a solo home run by Josh Ulery, but Slippery Rock once again answered the next half inning.
 
Bubash led off the fifth with a walk before taking third on a Ross bloop single and eventually scoring the go-ahead run by way of a Brandon Butler RBI-single.
 
The Rock's reliever combination of Herr and Marra controlled the rest of the contest. Herr threw the bottom of the fifth without yielding a run before turning the game over to Marra, who came on to earn the save by pitching scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh en route to the one-run win.
 
UPJ used three pitchers in game two. Starter Erik Rhodes gave up four runs over 3.1 innings. Antonio Caporossi (0-1) took the loss after giving up one run in his 1.1 innings pitched. Brandon Clifford finished the game for the Mountain Cats, tossing 2.1 shutout innings.
 
Hunter Loomis started the game for SRU, allowing three runs on three walks and two hits before giving way to Herr.
 
Slippery Rock steps back out of PSAC West play for a non-conference tilt against No. 10 Ashland University 2 p.m. March 26.
 
 

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