SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team clinched a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division series victory over Pitt-Johnstown following a doubleheader sweep of the Mountain Cats Sunday at Critchfield Park.
 
The Rock opened the afternoon in dominant fashion by way of a 25-1 victory in game one before taking a one-run win from UPJ in game two, 2-1. Sunday's sweep, combined with a doubleheader split Friday at Pitt-Johnstown, gives SRU the series win over the Mountain Cats.
 
Sunday's wins improve Slippery Rock's record to a healthy 14-9 overall and 3-5 inside the PSAC West. Pitt-Johnstown leaves The Rock at 11-17 overall and 2-6 in conference competition.
 
Michael Kitko and Stone Powell led a host of Rock athletes that had great doubleheaders Sunday.
 
Kitko not only went a combined 5-for-9 with two runs scored and six RBIs over the two games, he also pitched 3.1 solid innings as a relief pitcher in game two with just one unearned run allowed en route to his first win on the mound in 2026.
 
Powell meanwhile continued to be one of SRU's hottest hitters following a 5-for-8 day at the plate Sunday that included three runs scored and four RBIs.
 
Gage Gillott (2-for-5, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 3 walks), Treston Nemeth (3-for-6, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 1 walk) and Darryn Callahan (2-for-5, 1 walk) all had at least one hit in both games as well. While his ample run support would have allowed for mistakes, Gillott was also strong on the mound in game one with four solid innings of work for a win.
 
GAME 1: SRU 25 – UPJ 1
W: Gage Gillott (1-2)
L: Aiden Coleman (0-3)
S: Nolan Comerford (1)
 
Slippery Rock matched the fourth-highest single-game run total in program history as part of its 25-1 victory in game one.

SRU achieved one of the top offensive performances in program history by scoring in bunches on 20 hits and taking 14 walks. The Rock tallied six runs in the first inning, four in the third, eight in fifth and seven more in the sixth.
 
The only three contests in which a Slippery Rock team has scored more runs in a game came in 1988 (29 vs. California), 2014 (27 vs. Clarion) and 2009 (26 vs. University of Sciences).
 
SRU had 15 athletes that logged a plate appearance reach base in the win. Powell paced the pack, finishing a home run shy of the cycle as part of a 4-for-5, three-run, three-RBI game.
 
Kitko drove in six runs while going 4-for-6 with two runs scored. His six RBIs are tied for the ninth most in a single-game by a Rock hitter in the last 23 years.
 
Others with multi-hit games in the opener included Nemeth (2-for-3, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 walk), Jake Robinson (2-for-4, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 doubles, 1 walk) and James Miller, who went 2-for-2 with one run, three RBIs and his first collegiate home run. Miller's other hit was on the day was a triple.
 
Gillott reached base four total times on one hit and three walks all the while scoring three runs and driving in two more. Bernadowski also took advantage of multiple walks to reach base three times (1-for-1, 2 runs, 2 walks). Like Miller, Mason Raup registered his first hit in a Rock uniform with a two-run single in the sixth.
 
On the mound Gillott earned his first win of the season after giving up just one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five Mountain Cats in four innings. Nolan Comerford grabbed his first collegiate save by pitching three shutout innings. He too struck out five batters while yielding just one hit.
 
Pitt-Johnstown used seven pitchers in the loss. Starter Aiden Coleman (0-3) was the pitcher of record after giving up five runs in 0.2 innings.
 
GAME 2: SRU 2 – UPJ 1
W: Michael Kitko (1-0)
L: Jared Dowey (3-3)
 
While not the offensive onslaught of game one, Slippery Rock again played solid baseball and held off a late UPJ comeback bid to take the nightcap – and in turn the series – 2-1.
 
SRU scored both of its runs in the third inning when Powell hit an RBI-single that plated Morgen Billotte followed immediately by Robinson scoring on a ball hit by Nemeth. The two runs turned out to be plenty for the pitching duo of Kitko and Zachary Hare.
 
In what was his fifth collegiate start, Hare threw 3.2 shutout innings in which he registered eight strikeouts while giving up just one hit and four walks before leaving the game for Kitko with two outs and a runner on second base in the fourth inning.
 
Kitko forced an inning-ending flyout against the first batter he faced in the fourth. While UPJ would get one run back from The Rock in the fifth inning, Kitko worked out of the threat by stranding two runners. He went on to strand another runner on second in the sixth as well as forcing Pitt-Johnstown to leave Mountain Cats on second and third in the seventh to close out the win.
 
Six different Rock athletes accounted for The Rock's hits in game two as Gillott, Powell, Nemeth, Kitko, Callahan and Clay Wiesen all went 1-for-3.
 
Hare's eight strikeouts marked the third time in his brief collegiate career in which he has struck out at least eight batters. Kitko ended the game pitching 3.1 innings with one unearned run allowed on four hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts.
 
Jared Dowey (3-3) took the loss for Pitt-Johnstown. He gave up just two unearned runs on six hits over six innings.
 
Slippery Rock returns to competition with a non-conference game March 31 at Fairmont State University. First pitch of the nine-inning game is set for noon.
 
 
 



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