SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The No. 22 Slippery Rock University baseball team split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader against Indiana University (Pa.) Friday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
SRU took the opener, 10-6, before dropping an 8-3 decision in game two. With the split, Slippery Rock's record moves to a healthy 11-1 on the season overall and 1-1 in league play while IUP ends the day at 8-7 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC West.
 
The Rock was led on the day by Abraham Mow who hit a pair of home runs, his second and third of the season, over the doubleheader while scoring three runs. The two-homer day elevated Mow into a tie for sixth place alongside former SRU great Matt Adams on Slippery Rock's career home run list with 27.
 
Luke Trueman went a combined 3-for-6 over the two games in addition to producing one run, four RBI, a home run and a double.
 
Connor Hamilton continued his stellar senior campaign by going 3-for-7 on the day with two runs scored, one home run, a pair of RBI and one walk. Through 12 games, Hamilton has launched a team-high six home runs with 19 RBI.
 
The trio of Eddie Morris, Alex Robenolt and Jon Kozarian all had hits in both ends of Friday's doubleheader with Morris and Robenolt both homering. Robenolt has now launched five home runs over The Rock's last six games.
 
GAME ONE: SRU 10 – IUP 6
Slippery Rock briefly trailed in the opener before its bats came alive to slug five home runs on the way to a 10-6 game-one victory.
 
Trailing 2-0 entering the third inning, Slippery Rock stormed back with one of its patented big innings as Anthony Cinicola started the rally by leading off the frame with his first collegiate home run. Later in the inning, Robenolt put The Rock ahead courtesy of a two-out three-run home run before Morris finished off the surge with a solo shot of his own to give SRU a 5-2 lead.
 
IUP plated three runs in the fifth to tie the game only for Slippery Rock to answer back in the bottom of the frame with four additional runs via an RBI-double by Hamilton and a three-run home run off of Trueman's bat.
 
The Rock and Crimson Hawks traded runs in the sixth with SRU's score coming off of a Mow home run before reliever Travis Holman, who entered the game for starter Devin Dunn (4-0) in the sixth, stranded two IUP baserunners in the seventh to close out the 10-6 victory.
 
While his consecutive scoreless inning streak came to an end at 21.2, Dunn still picked up his fourth win in as many starts this season after scattering five runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits and three walks to go with five strikeouts over five innings pitched.
 
Holman pitched the final two innings for SRU with one run allowed on a hit and two walks to go with three strikeouts.
 
Slippery Rock ended game one with 10 hits led by Trueman, who was 2-for-3 with one run, three RBI and one home run. Mow and Hamilton both went 2-for-4 as well with Mow scoring twice and hitting one home run.
 
Three of SRU's other four hits were all home runs off the bats of Robenolt, Morris and Cinicola with Kozarian also adding a base hit as well.
 
Reliever Sean Furlong (0-1) was the pitcher of record for IUP after allowing five runs on four hits in two innings pitched.
 
GAME TWO: IUP 8 – SRU 3
Slippery Rock suffered its first defeat of the season in game two as SRU was unable to overcome an early three-run deficit in an 8-3 loss.
 
Four of Slippery Rock's eight hits in game two went for extra bases. Mow and Hamilton both hit home runs while Robenolt and Morris provided doubles with Hamilton also walking once as the only Rock player to reach base twice in the contest.
 
The Rock's remaining hits came from Kozarian, Trueman, Koby Bubash and Joel Spishock with Trueman's being a run-scoring hit.
 
Ricky Mineo (2-1) was charged with the loss for Slippery Rock after allowing five runs on six hits and four walks while tallying seven strikeouts over 4.2 innings. Drew Delaney and Colby Anderson came out of the bullpen to pitch the final 2.1 innings as Delaney yielded three unearned runs in one inning while Anderson threw 1.1 scoreless innings.
 
Peytan Johnson hit a three-run home run in the first inning to give the Crimson Hawks a lead they would never relinquish.
 
SRU cut into the IUP lead as Mow led off the third with a home run while Trueman plated Morris from third in the fourth to make it a 3-2 contest.
 
However, any hopes of a Rock comeback were dashed late in the game after Indiana countered with two runs in the fifth inning prior to taking advantage of two Rock errors on one play to score three runs in the sixth while SRU could only tack on an additional run, a Hamilton solo homer in the fifth, down the stretch as IUP forced the doubleheader split with an 8-3 win.
 
Mark Edeburn (2-2) was able to work around eight hits and a walk to give up just three runs in a complete-game win.
 
Slippery Rock and Indiana are currently scheduled to finish off the four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday at IUP with first pitch coming at 1 p.m.
 
 





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