SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team picked up a 6-1 non-conference victory over Tiffin University Tuesday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
The win, SRU's fourth in its last six games, improves The Rock's record to 20-11 overall while the Dragons leave Slippery Rock at 17-21.
 
Hunter Loomis (1-1) led a four-pitcher Slippery Rock contingent in the victory with his best performance on the mound this season. Loomis pitched four shutout innings while allowing just one hit on the way to his first win of the year.
 
In what was his third straight appearance, Gino Marra was once again solid out of SRU's bullpen, scattering one hit and two walks over 1.2 scoreless innings before giving way to Eoin Rossman, who posted three strikeouts in 1.1 hitless innings.
 
Parker Hogge closed out the day for SRU by tallying three strikeouts and only one run allowed through the final two innings.
 
Seven Rock batters combined to produce nine hits, four of which went for extra bases.
 
Braden Olson continued his hot streak, going 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI. Olson has now compiled 12 hits in his last 21 at-bats. Darryn Callahan turned in a 2-for-3 performance of his own that also included two runs, one RBI and a double.  
 
Koby Bubash extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 games with a double as part of a 1-for-2, two-run, two-walk day at the plate.
 
Eddie Morris launched his second home run of the 2024 season. Gage Gillott, Cam Panyko Morris and Steve Budash all registered hits as well with Budash and GIllott racking up one RBI apiece.
 
After a scoreless opening frame, Slippery Rock scored twice in the bottom of the second courtesy of back-to-back run-scoring hits off the bats of Callahan and Olson.
 
The Rock added to their lead with three runs in the fourth inning as Morris belted a home run to right field, Brandon Butler brought Callahan in from third via a sacrifice fly with Gillott capping the big inning via an RBI-single which allowed Olson to touch home plate.
 
Tiffin appeared poised to cut into SRU's lead in the fifth inning when the Dragons loaded the bases with just one out against Marra, who entered the game for Loomis at the start of the frame.
 
However, SRU's crafty reliever worked his way out of the jam by inducing consecutive ground ball outs to preserve The Rock's advantage.
 
Marra and Rossman would then combine to hold Tiffin scoreless for two more innings before Slippery Rock added a final insurance run in the seventh on Busash's pinch-hit RBI single.
 
Hogge finished off the victory by holding Tiffin to just one run over the final two innings en route to the five-run win.
 
Tiffin used eight pitchers in Tuesday's loss. Andrew Siler (0-4) served as the pitcher of record after giving up one run in 0.1 innings. Tommy Thaman and Cal Brazier produced all four of TU's hits.
 
Slippery Rock returns to its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division schedule for a four-game series against Gannon University.
 
SRU will host the Golden Knights for a doubleheader Saturday prior to traveling to Gannon for two games Sunday. First pitch of game one on both days is set for 1 p.m. 





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