CARY, N.C. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team opened its 2026 season with a doubleheader sweep of Kutztown University Friday at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
The Rock (2-0) gathered a 10-3 victory in the opener before downing the Golden Bears (0-2) in walkoff fashion, 4-3, to close out the doubleheader sweep in game two. Slippery Rock has now opened its season with doubleheader sweeps in each of the last three years.
The quartet of
Gage Gillott,
Jake Robinson,
Stone Powell and
Darryn Callahan all had hits in both parts of Friday's doubleheader.
Gillott led the way, going a combined 2-for-6 with three runs scored, three RBIs, two walks and two stolen bases. Robinson compiled three hits over the two games with two RBIs – including being responsible for driving in the winning run in The Rock's walkoff victory in game two.
Callahan and Powell posted nearly identical stat lines of 2-for-5 with two runs, one RBI and one walk apiece, with one of Powell's hits coming by way of double.
Slippery Rock's pitching staff held Kutztown without a run in the final five innings of both games.
GAME ONE: SRU 10 – KU 3
Winning Pitcher: Nate Malak (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Abel Saft (0-1)
On the back of a six-run fourth inning Slippery Rock grabbed a 10-3 season-opening win in game one.
The Rock and Golden Bears traded runs in the first inning as Gillott scored from third on a fielding error by Kutztown off ball hit by
Treston Nemeth only for Kutztown to get the run back in the bottom of the frame before posting a pair of runs in the second to take an early 3-1 advantage.
Kutztown's lead held until the decisive fourth inning when Slippery Rock sent 11 batters to the plate as part of a six-run inning that was highlighted by Gillott's two-run single. The Rock added three insurance runs in the seventh en route to the seven-run victory in the opener.
Nate Malak picked up the win on the mound for Slippery Rock by pitching five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk to go with three strikeouts. After giving up three runs and five hits in the first two innings, Malak settled in to finish his first start of the year with three shutout innings before giving way go
Joey Vanzin, who scattered two hits over two shutout innings of his own.
Gillott reached base three times in game one (1 hit, 1 walk, 1 HBP) all the while scoring twice, driving in a pair and stealing a base. Powell matched his teammate by reaching base on three occasions the same way to go with one run and one RBI.
Other standouts from the opener included Callahan (1-for-3, 2 runs, 1 walk), Robinson (1-for-4, 1 RBI), Nemeth (1 RBI, 1 walk),
Morgen Billotte (2 runs, 1 stolen base, 1 walk),
Michael Kitko (1-for-3, 1 run) and
Max Bernadowski (1 run, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 HBP).
GAME TWO: SRU 4 – KU 3
Winning Pitcher: Mark Wilbur (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Jeremy Fallon (0-1)
Slippery Rock overcame an early three-run deficit to cap off a perfect day in dramatic fashion for a 4-3 victory in game two.
Already trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the second, Slippery Rock went to work on erasing its deficit. Callahan officially started the rally with a two-out single that drove in Powell, who doubled earlier in the inning, from second base.
The Rock made it a 3-3 game an inning later as
Luke Anderton led off with a walk and promptly scored by way of Gillott's RBI-double. Gillott eventually navigated his way to third base on a Robinson single before trotting home thanks to a sacrifice fly by
Brandon Butler.
The next three innings saw both pitching staffs hold the opposition scoreless to take the contest into the seventh still in a 3-3 deadlock.
Kutztown appeared poised to break the tie when it put runners on first and third with just one out only for reliever
Mark Wilbur, who entered the game in the sixth inning, to work out of the jam by forcing a pop out and groundout to get out of the inning unscathed.
Slippery Rock put the game away in the bottom of the seventh inning when Robinson, a transfer from Kent State University who was playing in his first games with SRU Friday, produced a clutch two-out single down the right field line with the bases loaded that brought in Bernadowski for the game-winning run.
Robinson went 2-for-4 in the nightcap with the game-winning RBI. Gillott also reached base twice with a hit and walk to go with one run, one RBI and another stolen base.
Kitko got the start on the mound for SRU. He threw 4.1 innings with three runs allowed on six hits and walk.
Kyle Warnsman came on for Kitko in the fifth and recorded the final two outs of the inning.
Wilbur pocketed his first win of the 2026 following two scoreless innings that included two strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Slippery Rock continues its time at the USA Baseball National Training Facility 11 a.m. Saturday in a nine-inning game against Frostburg State University.
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