ERIE, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team was swept in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader on the road Sunday by Gannon University.
 
The Rock dropped an 8-6 decision in the opener followed by a 5-4 loss in game two. Sunday's losses move Slippery Rock's record to 18-14 overall and 6-10 inside the PSAC West. Gannon exits the weekend having taken three of four games from The Rock to improve their record to 16-17 overall and 10-6 in league games.
 
Jake Robinson reached base six times over the doubleheader for The Rock, going a combined 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored, four walks, two RBIs and one double.
 
Michael Kitko went 4-for-9 over the two games with one run and two RBIs. Other leaders at the plate Sunday included Max Bernadowski (3-for-7, 2 RBIs), Gage Gillott (3 runs, 2 walks, 1 hit) and Clay Wiesen (1 home run).
 
GAME 1: GU 8 – SRU 6
W: Logan Oakes (2-0)
L: Nolan Comerford (0-2)
 
Slippery Rock seemed poised to open the doubleheader with a win, but a seventh-inning rally by the Golden Knights gave way to an 8-6 Gannon victory.
 
SRU carried a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning,
 
The Rock's runs came about via one-run innings in the first and third via an RBI-single by Kitko and a solo home run by Wiesen in addition to tallying two runs in the fourth courtesy of RBIs by Robinson and Stone Powell as well as two more runs in the final two frames thanks to a run-scoring walk by Darryn Callahan and an RBI-double by Powell.
 
However, Gannon opened the bottom half of the seventh inning with two hits and walk to load the bases and force starting pitcher Parker Hogge from the game for reliever Nolan Comerford. GU then recorded back-to-back run-scoring singles followed by a walk off grand slam off the bat of Chris Mullin to secure the 8-6 victory.
 
SRU registered 10 hits in the opener, led by matching 2-for-5 showings from Powell and Kitko with Powell driving in two runs and Kitko carrying one RBI. Robinson reached base four times by going 1-for-2 with two runs, one RBI and three walks.
 
The rest of the hits were evenly distributed among Wiesen, Callahan, Bernadowski, Treston Nemeth, and Morgen Billotte. Wiesen's home run was his second of the year. Gillott also scored twice.
 
Sunday marked Hogge's longest outing of the year with a final line of six innings pitched and five runs allowed on 11 hits and two walks. Comerford (0-2) was the pitcher of record for SRU. He was charged with three runs on three hits while recording two outs in the seventh.
 
Logan Oakes (2-0) earned the win for Gannon by registering the final two outs in the seventh.

G2: GU 5 - SRU 4
W: Hunter Stein (1-2)
L: Zachary Hare (3-1)
S: Logan Ayres
 
The Golden Knights fended off a late Rock comeback bid and close out the series-clinching doubleheader sweep with a 5-4 win in game two.
 
Gillott and Robinson led off the game with back-to-back singles with Gillott eventually scoring on a Kitko RBI-single to left field, giving SRU an early 1-0 win.
 
The Golden Knights proceeded to score once in the second inning to tie the contest followed by adding on three more runs in the third and another in the fifth. Meanwhile, GU pitcher Hunter Steinke pitched four shutout innings following the first frame to send Gannon into the sixth leading 5-1.
 
Slippery Rock opened its comeback bid in the sixth by way of a Kitko single, Callahan reaching base on an error and Brandon Butler drawing a walk to load the bases for Bernadowski, who delivered a two-run single which brought The Rock to within two runs at 5-3.
 
SRU then pushed across another runner when back-to-back walks by Gillott and Robinson forced The Rock's third run of the inning across home plate, making it a 5-4 game before Gannon could get out of the inning. 
 
Tyler Slone kept SRU's deficit at just one run after coming on in the sixth and striking out the side.
 
A leadoff walk by Treston Nemeth in the top of the seventh put the game tying run on base for SRU. Gannon reliever Logan Ayres managed to force consecutive fly outs following the walk only for Callahan to drive a ball deep to centerfield that resulted in a ground rule double, giving SRU the potential go-ahead run on base.
 
However, Ayres was able to work out of the jam by registering a game-ending strikeout to finish off the 5-4 Gannon win.
 
Bernadowski went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in game two. Kitko also collected two hits in a 2-for-4, one-run, one-RBI performance.
 
The trio of Gillott, Robinson and Nemeth all reached base two times on matching 1-for-3, one-walk outings with Gillott scoring once and Robinson compiling an RBI.
 
On the mound, Zachary Hare (3-1) took the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out four). Slone and Joey Vanzin each pitched an inning out of The Rock's bullpen.
 
Stein picked up the win for Gannon. He gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits to go with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Ayres earned the save with a scoreless seventh inning.
 
Slippery Rock returns to midweek play when it travels to Walsh 3 p.m. April 14. The Rock beat the Cavaliers, 5-0, at Critchfield Park earlier in the season.
 
 


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