SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team picked up a 5-2 midweek non-conference win over Mansfield University in a chilly Tuesday afternoon nine-inning game from Jack Critchfied Park.
The win improves Slippery Rock to 15-9 on the season while Mansfield slips to 10-14. SRU improves to 9-4 in the last 13 meetings with the Mountaineers dating back to 2018 as the teams continue their non-conference annual series.
Robert Herr got the call to start on the mound and struck out the side in the first inning on the way to not allowing a hit through the first three innings.
Slippery Rock took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Treston Nemeth recorded his first of three RBI, a grounder that plated Clay Wiesen after Wiesen led of the inning with a single.
Mansfield got its first hits of the game with three straight batters connecting in the fourth inning, including back-to-back doubles by Ryan Sekulski and Ryan Scott. Cole Serfass then snuck a single through the right side to give the Mounties a 2-1 lead.
Herr was relieved after the fourth inning after allowing two runs and three hits while striking out four batters. Mark Wilbur entered to start the fifth inning and threw three innings of relief work, allowing no runs and just one hit while striking out three batters between the fifth and seventh innings.
Slippery Rock leveled the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning with Zack Streightif doubled to center field and scored two batters later on a single to left field from Nemeth.
The Rock took the lead for good in the seventh inning with three runs to open up a 5-2 lead. Streightif reached for the second straight plate appearance with a walk and advanced to second when Gage Gillott was hit by a pitch. Nemeth then singled to left field to score Streightif for what would stand as the game-winning run. SRU tacked on two more runs in the inning with Cam Panyko Morris and Brandon Butler each recording an RBI to send it to the eighth inning with SRU leading 5-2.
Joey Vanzin took the mound to open the eighth inning and slammed the door for a two-inning save, allowing just one hit and no runs over the final two innings.
The Rock's three pitchers combined to allow just five hits and two runs while striking out seven and walking none.
Nemeth finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI while Panyko Morris was 2-for-3 with one RBI and Butler was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Streightif went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Michael Kitko, Wiesen and Gillott each scored one run.
Austin Beauchamp threw six innings for Mansfield and took a no-decision after allowing two runs, striking out six and walking two. Evan Woznick took the loss after allowing three runs in the seventh inning. Scott led the Mounties at the plate with two hits and one RBI.
Slippery Rock will now shift its focus back to the PSAC West portion of the schedule with a home-and-home series against Gannon scheduled for this weekend. The Rock are scheduled to host Gannon Friday in a doubleheader with first pitch at 1 p.m. before traveling to Erie Saturday to close the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
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