SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team was swept by Indiana University (Pa.) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader Friday at Critchfield Park.
 
SRU dropped the opener in a tight 5-4 decision before being shutout by IUP in game two, 5-0. Following the sweep, Slippery Rock's record drops to 13-8 overall and 4-2 inside the PSAC West while Indiana improves to 6-17 overall and 2-4 in league games.
 
The trio of Cam Panyko Morris, Gage Gillott and Michael Kitko paced The Rock's efforts Friday with matching 3-for-6 showings from the plate over the doubleheader. Panyko Morris drove in one run and posted a pair of doubles among his three hits.
 
Kitko has now reached base in 27 consecutive games dating back to the end of last season. Since 2012, only four other Rock athletes have reached base in more consecutive appearances than Kitko's current streak.

GAME ONE: IUP 5 – SRU 4
A Mike Huber home run in the seventh inning proved to be the difference in a 5-4 Indiana victory in game one.
 
IUP jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Elijah Dunn, before Rock starting pitcher Nate Malak settled in and threw 3.2 shutout innings over the remainder of his outing.
 
The Crimson Hawks' 4-0 lead held until the fourth inning when The Rock plated four runs of their own to pull the game into a tie.
 
SRU's best inning of the day was kickstarted by back-to-back singles from Kitko and Gillott followed by a run-scoring double off the bat of Brandon Butler. The inning also saw Treston Nemeth plate Gillott on a sacrifice fly followed later in the frame by RBI doubles courtesy of Panyko Morris and Tyler Cerame before IUP could get out of the inning.
 
Relief pitchers Joey Vanzin (0-1) and Cameron Copp (1-0) proceeded to trade scoreless innings heading into the seventh inning when Huber launched a go-ahead home run with one out in the top of the frame. Vanzin recovered from the home run and got out of the inning without yielding any further runs.
 
A walkoff rally was not in the cards for Slippery Rock in the bottom of the inning as Bryce Devan came on for Copp and worked around a one-out single by Panyko Morris to strand the potential game-tying run and give IUP the 5-4 win.
 
Malak went 4.2 innings in a no-decision start, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Vanzin was the pitcher of record for SRU after striking out three batters and giving up one run in 2.1 innings.
 
SRU totaled 11 hits in game one, led by two-hit performances by Nemeth (2-for-2), Kitko (2-for-3), Gillott (2-for-3) and Panyko Morris with Nemeth and Panyko Morris each compiling one RBI. Cerame and Butler were both 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
 
Indiana's Copple and Devan combined to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Derrick Shields, who gave up four runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings. Huber, who was an All-America honoree in 2024 at West Virginia State University, went 3-for-4 with two runs, one home run and two RBI.

GAME 2: IUP 5 – SRU 0
Slippery Rock's offense could never find its collective footing in the nightcap as Indiana closed out the doubleheader sweep with a 5-0 victory.
 
Three Crimson Hawk pitchers limited SRU to a near season-low four hits. Kitko, Gillott, Cerame and Panyko Morris each went 1-for-3 in game two with the hits by Kitko and Panyko Morris coming in the form of doubles. Stone Powell also reached base once by way of a walk.
 
Hunter Loomis (2-1) took the loss for The Rock on the mound. He allowed three runs off four hits and three walks to go with three strikeouts in three innings. Mark Wilbur came on for Loomis to throw the final four innings, striking out six and scattering two runs on three hits and one walk.
 
Already leading 3-0 after scoring twice in the second inning and once in the third, IUP thwarted The Rock's best chance at avoiding the shutout in the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Powell drew a walk followed directly by a Panyko Morris double that put runners on second and third.
 
However, Jacob Jewett, who took the place of starter Eli Shedd to start the inning, got himself out of a jam by inducing an inning-ending groundout.
 
The Crimson Hawks added two insurance runs in the seventh and held SRU to only one hit over the final two innings – a one-out single by Cerame in the seventh – en route to the 5-0 shutout victory.
 
Shedd (1-1) earned his first victory of the year for IUP thanks to four shutout innings before turning the game over to Jewett and Jimmy Tooley for the final nine outs.
 
Game two's start time was pushed back just under two hours due to rain showers that were constant for a large portion of the afternoon in Slippery Rock.
 
Slippery Rock and Indiana are scheduled to finish off their four-game weekend series with a doubleheader Saturday at IUP. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.




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