SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team split a doubleheader with Saint Anselm College Sunday at a soggy Jack Critchfield Park to earn a 3-1 series victory over the Hawks.
 
The Rock opened Sunday with its highest run output of the season as part of a 14-8 win before being forced to settle for the split following a 4-2 loss in game two.
 
In addition to making several great defensive plays in the outfield, Michael Kitko also went a combined 3-for-5 with one run scored, one home run, five RBI and a double over the doubleheader. Kitko exits the weekend with two home runs and a team-best 12 RBI on the season. He has reached base in 13 consecutive games.
 
Stone Powell continued what is shaping up to be a strong rookie campaign by tallying three hits over Sunday's games with one being a double and the other his first collegiate home run.
 
Darryn Callahan (2-for-4, one run, two walks) and Treston Nemeth (3-for-8, one run) both collected hits in each game as well while Tyler Cerame scored four runs, had one hit and reached base three more times by way of walks or being hit by pitches.

Game One: SRU 14 – SAC 8 (7 Innings)
Slippery Rock scored runs in every inning on the way to a 14-8 victory in game one.
 
SRU earned its highest run total of 2025 behind 14 hits – five of which were of the extra base variety – and six walks.
 
All 10 Rock athletes to register a plate appearance in the victory reached base with five producing multi-hit games led by Kitko's 2-for-3, one-run, one-home run, four-RBI outing.
 
Powell also went 2-for-3, with his hits coming off a home run and double, to go with two runs and two RBI.
 
The top of The Rock's batting order saw leadoff hitter Jimmy Sadler go 2-for-3 with two runs, one RBI, one walk and his fifth stolen base of the season followed by Clay Wiesen going 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI.
 
Nemeth enjoyed a 2-for-4, one-run, one-RBI game. Cerame, Callahan, Luke Anderton and Cam Panyko Morris secured one hit apiece with Panyko Morris scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs, Cerame scoring on three occasions and Anderton's third-inning single being his first collegiate hit.
 
Slippery Rock slugged its way to a 10-2 advantage through three innings. While the Hawks went on to score seven runs over the following three frames, The Rock were able to keep any thoughts of rally quiet by answering with one run in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth en route to a 14-8 win.
 
Joe Purcell (1-2) picked up his first win of the season for SRU after pitching 4.2 innings and allowing seven runs on 10 hits and two walks. Robert Herr entered the game for Purcell with two outs in the fifth inning and proceeded to scatter one run over 2.1 innings.
 
Saint Anselm used four pitchers in the opener with Adam Betty (0-1) taking the loss after giving up six runs in 1.2 innings.

Game Two: SAC 4 – SRU 2 (9 innings)
Slippery Rock was unable to complete its series sweep of Saint Anselm as the Hawks earned a 4-2 victory to salvage their weekend.
 
Saint Anselm scored runs in the third and fourth innings while pitcher Gabe Knudsen (3-1) weaved in and out of potential trouble, stranding five Rock runners on base through the opening half of the game to push the Hawks into the fifth inning ahead 2-0.
 
The Rock cut into Saint Anselm's lead in the fifth when Herr led off the frame with a double before eventually taking third and finally scoring courtesy of a Kitko sacrifice fly.
 
However, the Hawks got the run back in the sixth and added an insurance tally in the eighth. SRU entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 4-2 as a heavy rain began to fall.
 
Cerame drew a leadoff walk in the final inning to bring Callahan to the plate, but four pitches into his at-bat the game was halted due to lighting.
 
Following a delay of just under an hour, Hawks reliever Cooper Hagen came up with a pair of strikeouts and while Cerame would score via another Herr double The Rock's rally ended the following at-bat when Hagen induced a game-ending groundout.
 
Herr logged two of SRU's six hits in the loss, going 2-for-4 on a pair of doubles with one run and one RBI. Kitko, Nemeth, Powell and Callahan all had base hits as well.
 
Ethan Edkins (1-1) was the pitcher of record for The Rock. He was solid throughout the game, throwing six innings with three runs allowed on eight hits.
 
Relievers Gino Marra and Parker Hogge combined to pitch the final three innings. In his season debut, Marra struck out three batters while surrendering one run on a hit and a walk. Hogge pitched 0.2 scoreless innings.
 
Knudsen took the win for Saint Anselm after yielding one run on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts over five innings. Josh Bryant served as the bridge between Knudsen and Hagen with two scoreless innings of middle relief. Hagen's save was his first of the year.
 
Slippery Rock returns to the road with a nine-inning game 3 p.m. Tuesday at Walsh University.





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