ASHLAND, Ohio - The Slippery Rock University baseball team overcame an early four-run deficit to earn a 7-6 road victory Tuesday against Ashland University at Tomassi Stadium.
 
Tuesday's win gives Slippery Rock victories in 10 of its last 12 games to improve its record in 2025 to 27-13. With nine games remaining in the regular season, in addition to any potential postseason contests, SRU is well positioned to register its first 30-win year since 2022. Ashland drops to 30-12 following the loss.
 
The Rock matched a season-high with 16 hits against the Eagles. Of the 10 athletes to record an at-bat Tuesday, nine ended the outing with at least one hit led by a 3-for-6, two-run showing from Michael Kitko.
 
Jimmy Sadler (2-3), Treston Nemeth (2-4), Cam Panyko Morris (2-4), Clay Wiesen (2-5) and Brandon Butler (2-6) all compiled two-hit games. Wiesen and Panyko Morris produced two RBIs and one run scored apiece. Butler's two hits pushed his reached base streak to 17 games.
 
Gage Gillott, Stone Powell and Tyler Cerame all had hits as well with Powell tallying The Rock's lone extra-base hit of the game in the form of a double all the while reaching base two additional times via walks. Gillott scored one run, which turned out to be the game-winner.
 
Ethan Edkins was the first of four pitchers to take the mound in what was SRU's sixth consecutive non-conference win. Edkins allowed four runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts in three innings.
 
Freshman Kyle Warnsman came on for Edkins in the fourth, giving up one run and striking out two batters over two innings. Parker Hogge was next out of the bullpen for Slippery Rock. He also pitched two innings with one run surrendered and two strikeouts.
 
Gino Marra (4-1) continued what's been a stellar senior year with two shutout innings on the way to his fourth win of 2025. Marra has been tagged with just one run allowed in his last 6.1 innings pitched, a span of four appearances.

While The Rock put two runners on base in each of the first two innings, it was Ashland that scored first Tuesday as the Eagles took advantage of a walk and two singles to load the bases in the bottom of the second prior to two more singles and a sacrifice fly plating three runs before Edkins could get out of the inning with SRU trailing 3-0.
 
Ashland made it a 4-0 ballgame with a Sam Witt solo home run in the third before SRU began its comeback bid in the fourth inning.
 
With two runners on base and just one out, Sadler slipped a single into right field that scored Wiesen from second base with another run-scoring single by Cerame getting Panyko Morris home with two outs in the frame.
 
Ashland made its first pitching change of the game after Cerame's single and while David Smith walked Gillott to load the bases, he escaped the jam by forcing Butler to lineout to third base to end the inning with AU leading 4-2.
 
Slippery Rock and Ashland went on to trade runs over the following two half innings, sending the game into its middle stages with the Eagles still holding a two-run edge at 5-3.
 
Ashland maintained its lead until the seventh inning when Panyko Morris drove a single to centerfield that scored Powell and Kitko, evening the score at 5-5. SRU promptly took its first lead of the day an inning later as Wiesen sent a shot through the right side of the infield, brining in pinch runner Caelan Bender for the go-ahead run.
 
However, SRU's lead was short-lived as Collin Overholt hit a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to get Ashland back into a 6-6 tie.
 
Not to be outdone, Slippery Rock responded in the ninth inning when Gillott reached base via a single only to advance to second on a corresponding failed pickoff attempt to put a runner in scoring position for Butler, who while facing an 0-2 count came through with a clutch hit to centerfield that scored Gillott for what turned out to be the game-winning run.
 
Marra, who came on in the eighth inning for Hogge, worked around a pair of baserunners in the ninth inning by forcing three flyouts to Panyko Morris in centerfield – one of which being a great diving grab – to finish out the one-run decision.
 
Ashland used six pitchers on the day with Chase Carter getting the loss after giving up two runs, one of which was earned, in two innings.   
 
Slippery Rock returns to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition with an important four-game weekend series against California (Pa.).
 
The Rock will host the Vulcans for a doubleheader Friday at Critchfield Park before heading to EQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania for two games Saturday. Scheduled first pitch of game one on both days is set for 1 p.m.





To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).