JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team broke its single-game home run record by going yard six times in an 18-10 win over Pitt-Johnstown after being held to a 7-3 loss in game one Sunday.
 
With Slippery Rock taking three of the four contests this weekend with Pitt-Johnstown, The Rock are now 21-23 overall with a 14-11 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. The Mountain Cats improved to 7-29 on the year and 4-20 in league play.
 
Slippery Rock's six home runs came from three players who each launched a brace of homers: Alexsa Hurd, Julia Montie and Julia Nutter. The Rock last homered this many times in one game in 2008 with five home runs against Lake Erie College.
 
With 21 hits in game two, Slippery Rock also tied the single-game record that was set in 2013 with 21 hits against Queens College (N.Y.). The 28 combined runs mark the highest-scoring game that SRU has been part of since a 23-6 win over Clarion in 2019.
 
A dozen players for Slippery Rock recorded a hit in the doubleheader, led by Montie's 6-for-9 day with two homers, a double and five RBI. Both Hurd and Arielle Brown went 5-for-10 with Hurd driving in six runs. Nutter, who went 3-for-6 with two home runs, also had six RBI. Despite the 12 hitters, Emma Kennedy was the only other player with an RBI by putting a double into the book.
 
Sarah Brown and Naomi Childs both logged 2-for-5 days, while Sydney Brown (1-for-3), Mackenzie Freeman (1-for-8), Aubrey Mansfield (1-for-8), Grace Smith (1-for-1) and Jeanna Sukey (1-for-6) all contributed from the batter's box. Pinch runner Madison Davis was one of the 10 Rock players to score in the twin bill as well.  
 
Slippery Rock utilized four pitchers, with Kelsi Anderson (8-9) picking up the game two win with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Paige Gresgott (0-1) closed out the final 2.1 innings of game two with two strikeouts. Hurd (8-10, 1) faced eight batters in 0.1 innings to bookend Mackenzie Borkovich's (5-3) 5.2 inning-bout in game one that included three strikeouts and just one allowed run.
 
GAME ONE – Pitt-Johnstown 7, Slippery Rock 3
A quick six-run headstart for the Mountain Cats doomed Slippery Rock in a 7-3 game one loss. Pitt-Johnstown took a 6-0 lead after the first inning after batting around with six hits and an error.
 
Slippery Rock got on the board with two runs in the top of the third with an RBI single put into centerfield by Montie to bring the score down to 6-2. The scoring continued to trend in SRU's favor when Nutter singled up the middle for an RBI in the fourth inning to make it 6-3.
 
Pitt-Johnstown added one more to the tally in the bottom of the fourth with a pesky double into left field. The Mountain Cats then forced Slippery Rock to leave eight on base through the final three innings to keep the 7-3 score intact.
 
Montie and Arielle Brown both led offensively going 2-for-4 while Sydney Brown recorded her first collegiate hit with a double in a 1-for-3 game. Despite the score, The Rock were only outhit 10-9, being gifted additional batting from Hurd (1-for-4), Kennedy (1-for-4), Smith (1-for-1) and Nutter (1-for-2).
 
Borkovich relieved Hurd early in the first inning and remained in the circle for 5.2 innings while giving up just one run. In that span, she also struck out three batters. Hurd came back to get the last out of the game. Julie Shinavski (1-5) earned UPJ's victory with two strikeouts to 38 batters faced in all 7.0 innings.
 
GAME TWO – Slippery Rock 18, Pitt-Johnstown 10
The Rock found themselves in a home run derby against Pitt-Johnstown in game two, securing a monstrous 18-10 victory with six home runs and 21 hits.
 
Things were off to a fast start when The Rock realized a 4-0 lead through the first four at-bats, grabbing two runs from Hurd and Montie. Pitt-Johnstown did not quit though, cutting the lead to 4-3 by the end of the second inning with a wild pitch and an RBI triple.
 
Two wild pitches and an error contributed to two of the runs SRU produced in the third inning, with Montie's second home run and a hard-hit single by Hurd lifting The Rock to a 9-3 lead. A throwing error in the home half of the third brought Pitt-Johnstown back within reach at 9-5.
 
The slugfest continued when Nutter ripped back-to-back home runs between the fourth and fifth innings for a 14-5 advantage, followed by another two-RBI single by Hurd in the top of the fifth for a 16-5 stronghold.
 
UPJ avoided the run rule defeat by tripling to deep right field and homering in the fifth inning to swat back with a 16-9 score before a sixth-inning solo shot brought the difference down to 16-10.
 
Hurd triumphed one more home run out of the park for good measure in the seventh inning prior to an RBI double by Kennedy, netting The Rock an 18-10 victory.
 
On top of the six home runs courtesy of Hurd (4-for-6), Montie (4-for-5) and Nutter (2-for-4), Slippery Rock also enjoyed four doubles, with one apiece coming from Kennedy (1-for-1), Mansfield (1-for-5), Montie (4-for-5) and Sarah Brown (2-for-5). Arielle Brown went 3-for-6 at the dish while Childs (2-for-5), Freeman (1-for-4) and Sukey (1-for-4) all joined in on the fun, with every SRU batter getting a hit.
 
Anderson started the game in the circle and tossed four strikeouts in the opening 4.2 innings before Gresgott dealt two Ks in the last 2.1 innings. UPJ's Addison Hilligsberg (1-10) suffered the loss after allowing the opening four runs without recording any outs. She was one of four Mountain Cat wings in game two.
 
In total, Slippery Rock outhit Pitt-Johnstown, 21-11 with at least one run being scored by a team in each of the seven innings.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will begin its final regular season week of action with a road doubleheader at Gannon University 2 p.m. Tuesday. The Rock split with the Golden Knights in a 1-0 loss and a 10-2 win April 10 at Kasnevich Field.  





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