Slippery Rock University Athletics

WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team opened its final Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division series of the regular season with a split doubleheader against California (Pa.) Thursday at EQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania.
 
SRU earned a 2-1 eight-inning victory in game one followed by a 4-2 Vulcan win in game two. The split doubleheader moves The Rock's record to 28-17 overall and 14-12 inside the PSAC West, while California exits the day at 26-20 overall and 14-12 in conference competition.
 
Heading into the final day of the regular season, Slippery Rock and California are tied for fourth place in the PSAC West standings. Both teams have already qualified for the PSAC Tournament and will enter the postseason as either the fourth or fifth seed from the Western Division depending on the outcome of Friday's doubleheader at Critchfield Park.  
 
Slippery Rock was led on the day by Stone Powell and Gage Gillott. Powell recorded hits in both games with one home run, three RBIs and a walk. He enters Friday's regular season finale leading SRU in both home runs (8) and RBIs (46). Gillott also collected hits in each game in addition to scoring one run and registering one of his best pitching performances of the season in game one.
 
GAME 1: SRU 2 – CAL 1 (8 Innings)
W: Joey Vanzin (3-2)
L: Evan Stranko (3-2)
 
A pair of great outings on the mound by Gillott and Joey Vanzin paired with timely Rock hitting paved the way for a 2-1 win in eight innings over the Vulcans in the opener.
 
Gillott pitched six innings for The Rock. He allowed just one run while striking out six batters before turning the game over to Joey Vanzin (3-2), who struck out three Vulcans over two shutout innings in the seventh and eighth to earn his third win of 2026.
 
Gillott also had one of The Rock's eight hits as part of a 1-for-3, one-run, one-double performance at the plate. Jake Robinson reached base twice, going 1-for-2 with one walk and the game-winning RBI.
 
Powell, Treston Nemeth, Michael Kitko, Clay Wiesen, Darryn Callahan and Morgen Billotte each had one hit apiece as well. Powell collected an RBI and Billotte scored the game-winning run off Robinson's extra-inning hit.
 
California seemed poised for a big second inning after loading the bases with no outs, but The Rock got out of the jam thanks to a Gage Gillott strikeout followed by a heads up play by SRU's defense. Robinson caught a flyout in shallow left field before making a perfect throw to Wiesen, who was covering third base and able to catch Ikon Jones off the base for the inning-ending out.
 
Slippery Rock broke the tie in the fourth inning when Gillott led off the frame with a double before scoring two batters later thanks to Powell shooting a single through the left side. The Rock's lead was brief as the Vulcans took advantage of their own double-single combination to plate the game-tying run in the bottom of the frame, sending the game into the fifth inning at 1-1.
 
The Vulcans again appeared to be on the precipice of scoring a run in the fifth inning following a leadoff triple only for Gillott to once again work his way out of trouble by forcing a Vulcan groundout and then tossing back-to-back strikeouts to keep the game tied.
 
The seventh inning proved to be California's turn dance out of trouble. Consecutive singles from Kitko, Wiesen and Callahan loaded the bases with one out. However, left fielder Chad Helwick made a diving catch on a ball off the bat of Max Bernadowski and then made a throw to second that beat Wiesen back to second base for the inning-ending out.
 
Vanzin came on in the seventh inning and promptly retired the side in order thanks in part to a pair of strikeouts, sending the game contest into extra innings.
 
Slippery Rock manufactured what turned out to be the game-winning run in the eighth inning. Billotte led off the decisive inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gillott, setting up a clutch single to centerfield by Robinson that scored Billotte.
 
The one-run edge was all Vanzin needed as The Rock's closer tossed another shutout inning that was capped off by Powell making a great catch on a pop up in foul territory, sealing the 2-1 win.
 
California reliever Evan Stranko was the pitcher of record for the Vulcans after giving up one run on six hits in 2.2 innings.
 
GAME 2: CAL 4 – SRU 2
W: Coleman Fletcher (4-2)
L: Cole Grady (4-1)
 
SRU struck early, but was unable to finish out the doubleheader sweep in a 4-2 loss to the Vulcans in game two.
 
Powell paced The Rock's offense in game two, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs and a walk. Bernadowski accounted for Slippery Rock's other extra-base hit in game two with one double and a run scored.
 
Gillott, Kitko and Landon Hamer posted Slippery Rock's other three hits.
 
Starting pitcher Cole Grady (4-1) went the distance for Slippery Rock, giving up four runs on eight hits to go with four strikeouts. Grady was dominant for five of his six innings pitched Thursday as California recorded all of its runs and six of the eight hits in the second frame.
 
Slippery Rock needed just three batters into the nightcap to match its run production from game one as Powell launched his team-leading eighth homer of the year with Bernadowski on second base to give SRU a 2-0 lead early on.
 
However, California answered Powell's shot with a four-run second inning. While Grady settled in to hold the Vulcans without another run the rest of the game, SRU was unable to get to Vulcan pitcher Coleman Fletcher (4-2) again following the first inning in the eventual 4-2 loss.
 
Slippery Rock and California wrap up their weekend series, and the regular season schedule, with a doubleheader Friday at Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.





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