SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team closed out a four-game series split against Mercyhurst University by trading wins in a doubleheader Saturday at a rainy Jack Critchfield Park.
 
After dropping the opener to the Lakers, 8-1, SRU rebounded with a 5-3 victory in game two. Saturday's results move The Rock's record to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. Mercyhurst exits Slippery Rock at 7-12 overall and 4-4 inside the PSAC West.
 
The highlight of the day for The Rock was the pitching performance by Michael Kitko in game two. In what was his first collegiate start, Kitko controlled the Mercyhurst batting order with 5.2 shutout innings.
 
Kitko, who has been SRU's top reliever this year prior to Saturday's start, is now 2-0 with two saves, a 1.08 ERA and a .193 opponent batting average over 16.2 innings pitched which have spanned six appearances.
 
Slippery Rock's offense was led on the day by the duo of Cam Panyko Morris and Koby Bubash. The duo each had one hit in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
Panyko Morris' hit in game one was his team-leading third home run of the season. Bubash's two hits included a triple that drove in three runs in game two to push his Rock-best RBI total in 2024 to 14.

GAME ONE: MU 8 – SRU 1
For a second consecutive game, Mercyhurst parlayed a big third inning into an 8-1 victory over The Rock.
 
Mercyhurst starter Corbin Foy (1-0) held Slippery Rock to just four hits and a walk in addition to posting eight strikeouts in the complete game victory.
 
Panyko Morris made the most of his lone hit in game one via a solo home run. Bubash, Gage Gillott and Darryn Callahan all collected hits as well with Callahan's being a double to go alongside a walk.
 
Joey Purcell (3-2) gave up six runs, four of which were earned, on nine hits and three walks while striking out five batters in six innings pitched. Hunter Loomis allowed two runs in an inning of relief.
 
Trailing 1-0 after two innings, Mercyhurst put the game out of the reach in the third with a five-run frame – just one less than its six-run third inning in MU's 7-1 win on Friday. Panyko Morris made sure SRU avoided the shutout with a towering home run to left field in the bottom of the frame, but a comeback was not to be.
 
SRU left the bases loaded in the fourth inning and were limited to just two hits the rest of the game while the Lakers added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on the way to the seven-run win.
 
Chris Juchno hit a three-run home run and Jack Malec was 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Lakers in the opener.

GAME TWO: SRU 5 – MU 3
Kitko shined in his first collegiate start and Slippery Rock fended off a late comeback bid to secure a 5-3 victory over the Lakers for the series split in game two.
 
Slippery Rock held a 5-0 lead through six innings thanks in large part to Kitko, who successfully worked around two hits and three walks while mixing in four strikeouts in a performance that in resulted in 5.2 shutout innings.
 
Noah Ross put The Rock on the board early thanks to an RBI base hit in the first inning that plated Purcell, who led off the frame with single before stealing his fourth base of the season.  
 
SRU then loaded the bases in the third inning to set up a bases-clearing three-run triple from Bubash. Slippery Rock went on to tally another run in the fourth by way of an RBI-ground out from Purcell that brought in Brandon Butler to give SRU a seemingly safe 5-0 lead.
 
However, Mercyhurst made one final push to capture game two.
 
Three of the first four batters to step to the plate in the seventh reached base as the Lakers were able to get to reliever Robert Herr – who came on for Kitko to record the final out of the sixth inning – with a pair of walks and a single which loaded the bases.
 
Following a walk that brought in Mercyhurst's first run of the game, Zachary Kour shot a single to right field to bring in another Laker, cutting The Rock's lead to 5-2 and forcing Herr from the game in favor of Nate Malak.
 
While Malak did allow a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced, the sophomore hurler quickly settled down by forcing Juchno to pop out to second base followed by a game-ending strikeout of Mitchell Grosch to close out The Rock's 5-3 victory.
 
Kitko improved to 2-0 on the season with the win while Malak earned the save, his first at The Rock. SRU is now 9-2 this year in games decided by three runs or less.
 
Purcell accounted for two of The Rock's seven hits in game two. He was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, one RBI, a walk and a stolen base.
 
Butler, Gillott and Eddie Morris all reached base twice as well. Butler walked twice, Morris had a hit and a walk and Gillott, who saw his 12-game hitting streak come to an end, was hit once and drew one walk.
 
Ross, Panyko Morris, Bubash and Braden Olson collected one hit apiece with Bubash's being his aforementioned three-run triple.
 
Ben Berdine (1-4) took the loss for the Lakers after giving up four runs on five hits in three innings. Nolan Kirsch (2 IP, 1 Run) and Matt Delvaus (1 IP, 0 Runs) finished out the game on the mound for Mercyhurst.
 
Slippery Rock is currently scheduled to step out of PSAC West competition for a single nine inning non-conference game 2 p.m. April 2 against the University of Charleston at Jack Critchfield Park.






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