The Slippery Rock University baseball team had their home opener last weekend when they had back-to-back doubleheaders Friday and Saturday.
Game 1
The Rock dropped the first of four games 5-0 to Shippensburg. The team had opportunities to strike, but ultimately came up short. A strong, complete game effort by Connor Barto led the way for Shippensburg.
SRU generated traffic on the bases thanks to Gage Gillot, who led the offense with two hits. Stone Powell, Michael Kitko and Brett Galcik followed, each having one hit, but no runs came across the plate.
Shippensburg capitalized early, scoring an unearned run in the second because of an error by Galcik at third base. AJ Wenrich launched a two‑run homer in the third to extend the lead. Lucas Ream added a solo shot in the sixth, and Ty Sherman drove in another run later in the inning to cap the scoring.
Barto was able to work around the five hits and three walks, stranding seven runners on base and recording five strikeouts.
Nate Malak got the start on the mound for the White and Green to open the series. Malak went five innings, surrendering three runs, only two earned, on seven hits and two walks.
SRU had three errors that led to extra opportunities for the Raiders to take advantage of.
Game 2
Michael Kitko was given the starting nod on the mound for The Rock, getting his second start of the year. Kitko sprinkled four strikeouts through his three innings of work, giving up four earned runs on five hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Slippery Rock exploded out of the gate with six consecutive hits to start game two. The early surge led to the White and Green scoring five runs in the first inning.
They tallied seven hits in the frame behind RBI knocks from Stone Powell, Treston Nemeth, Darryn Callahan and a two‑run double by Luke Anderton. By the end of the first, SRU’s 5–0 lead had chased Shippensburg starter Bryce Amos out after just one frame.
Shippensburg did not go down without a fight. A sacrifice fly from Tony Falvo in the second cut the deficit to four. A wild pitch and a two‑run single from Thomas Cano‑Piszel cut The Rock’s lead to only one in the third. A throwing error by Galcik in the fourth opened the door for a single by Will Oates to knock in a single and get two unearned runs across, giving Shippensburg their first lead.
The Rock’s offense stayed silent the rest of the game; the only baserunner after the explosion in the first was a walk from Gillot in the seventh.
Brady Kain came in for relief in the second inning for the Raiders, shutting SRU’s offense down. The right-hander retired all 15 hitters he saw, with 10 coming as strikeouts, all in 71 pitches.
Game 3
After being swept in Friday’s doubleheader, Slippery Rock looked to change that outcome on Saturday.
Game three saw Cole Grady start on the mound for The Rock. His second start of the year led to a clean opening inning. He finished the day with 3.1 innings, with five runs allowed on seven hits and a walk.
Gillot started off the bottom half of the first with a single. A fielder’s choice from Jake Robinson and an errant pick-off attempt led to Robinson moving to third. The scoring started with a Treston Nemeth single to center, scoring Robinson.
Grady got into trouble in the second inning after a single and an error, letting two men on base. Lucas Ream singled down the third base line to load the bases for Kyle Ausgotharp, but nothing came of the opportunity thanks to a strong play by Stone Powell at first to cut the lead runner down and a fly out.
Nemeth tacked on another run for the White and Green in the fourth with a single to center, scoring Brett Galcik and cutting the Raiders’ lead to one.
An offensive showing for both teams in the fourth and fifth was the deciding factor. Shippensburg immediately responded with three hits and a walk, expanding their lead to three, 5-2. SRU countered with three hits of their own from Callahan, Bernadowski and Galcik. Robinson and Galcik provided the two runs in the inning, with a sacrifice fly and a single respectively.
The bottom of the fifth saw the bases loaded for The Rock with Gillot up to bat. An error by the Raiders’ shortstop, Evan Shoffler, led to a run being plated. Robinson came up clutch again, earning his second RBI in the game with a single, scoring Bernadowski.
Solid showings from Parker Hoge—1.2 innings, four hits, two strikeouts—earning his second win of the year in as many appearances, and Mark Wilbur (S, 2)—2 innings, one strikeout, no runs—helped SRU get their first win of the series.
Game 4
The final game of the weekend opened with an offensive surge for Slippery Rock, with every starter recording a hit. Gage Gillot led the way, going four-for-five with two RBIs and two runs scored. Treston Nemeth followed, racking up three RBIs on a three-for-five performance at the dish.
Zachary Hare—in his first appearance of the season—was given the reins to the mound to start the final game of the series. Trouble mounted early with a pair of walks and an error by Robinson at shortstop, setting the stage for a run to score on a wild pitch. A single to center by Brady Harbach plated two more, ending the inning with Shippensburg being up 3-0.
SRU’s offense answered with four runs in the second inning. A hit from Bernadowski to lead off the inning resulted in a throwing error, advancing him to second. Callahan and Robinson both singled to get two runs across. A two-run Nemeth double to left-center helped the Rock grab their first lead of the game, 4-3.
Shippensburg answered quickly with a pair of walks and a single to set up a sacrifice fly from Lucas Ream to even the score.
Nolan Comerford stepped in for a relief appearance in the fourth. He quickly found himself in a tough situation with the first two men reaching base. The Raiders took back the lead thanks to a wild pitch from Camerford, set up by an error from Robinson at shortstop. However, this would be the last run of the game for Shippensburg.
Gillot kicked off the bottom half of the fifth, unloading a solo home run to left, tying the game at five apiece.
SRU had a thunderous offensive performance in the sixth, scoring five runs on six hits. Four doubles from Darryn Callahan, Morgen Billotte, Michael Kitko and Stone Powell defined the inning. Gillot and Nemeth added to the hit parade with singles of their own.
Kyle Warnsman—one inning, two hits, one walk, one strikeout—was credited with the win, and Wilbur—two innings, one hit, two strikeouts—shut the door on the series.
Gillott went 8-for-14 over the weekend with three runs scored, a solo home run, three RBIs, three walks and a stolen base. Nemeth was another standout hitter in this series, going 6-for-15 with two doubles and six RBIs.
With the two wins, longtime Slippery Rock head coach Jeff Messer stands at 1,159 coaching victories. This ranks him in eighth place on the NCAA’s Division II career wins list. He is 16 victories away from overtaking John Goelz for seventh place.
Slippery Rock continues its homestand against West Virginia State University for a three-game series March 7 and 8 at Jack Critchfield Park. The series starts at noon with a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a single nine-inning game at noon on Sunday.
