Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore
INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore right fielder
Matt Kosik smacked a two-run double in the top of the sixth inning of Saturday afternoon's second game to account for the winning runs as the Slippery Rock University baseball team split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division doubleheader vs. Indiana at Owen Dougherty Field.
Kosik's clutch hit broke a 3-3 tie and propelled SRU to a 6-3 win after Indiana had claimed the first game of the twinbill by a 6-1 score.
Kosik also had a leadoff solo home run in the top of the third inning of Saturday's first game to account for the only Rock run.
The Game 2 win ended a five-game losing skid for SRU and improved the Green and White's season records to 14-16 overall and 8-8 in PSAC-West action.
Indiana, which won the first three games in the weekend series vs. SRU, is 12-17 overall and 7-3 in division games.
The Rock will look to carry the momentum of Saturday's second-game win over to Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader vs. Seton Hill. The first pitch at Jack Critchfield Park is set for 3 p.m.
Rock 6, Indiana 3
The Rock jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in Saturday's second game as junior center fielder
Matt Howard stroked a leadoff triple and trotted home on a sacrifice fly by the next Rock hitter, sophomore left fielder
Carter Haponski.
The lead last less than a half inning, though, as Indiana scored two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead.
The score remained that way until the top of the fourth, when freshman third baseman
Jamison Walck slapped a one-out single and trotted home two batters later on junior first baseman
Nick Caito's second home run of the season, which put SRU on top by a 3-2 score.
Indiana tied the score at 3-3 with a run in the bottom of the fifth to set the stage for Kosik's game-winning two-bagger in the top of the sixth.
Senior second baseman
Billy Messer and Walck had back-to-back, one-out singles to center field and each moved up a base when Walck's hit was mishandled in the outfield. Kosik then stroked his game-winning double to left field to give The Rock a 5-3 lead.
The Rock manufactured its final run, an insurance tally in the top of the seventh, from a leadoff single by Howard, a sacrifice bunt by Haponski, an infield single by junior utilityman
Mitchell Monas and a wild pitch.
Junior southpaw
Jason Steen was The Rock's winning pitcher in relief of senior starter
Vince Lloyd.
Steen allowed only one hit, struck out one and walked one in the final two and two-thirds innings to record his first win of the season after two defeats.
Lloyd yielded three earned runs on four hits, struck out five, walked six and hit one batter in the first four and one-third innings.
Walck had three hits in three at bats and scored two runs to lead an 11-hit Rock offensive attack in Saturday's first game. He finished the day with five hits.
Howard and Kosik each added a pair of hits in Game 2, while Kosik and Caito each collected two RBIs.
Haponski, in addition to his first-inning sacrifice fly, had a one-out triple in the third inning but was left stranded 90 feet away from home plate.
Indiana 6, Rock 1
Senior right-hander
Don Pugliese (2-1) allowed only three hits in the first five and one-third innings of Saturday's first game but was the hard-luck loser. He allowed six runs (four earned), struck out five, walked five and hit three batters.
Junior southpaw
Colin McCoy pitched the final two-thirds of an inning and induced both hitters who faced him to hit fly-ball outs.
Kosik's solo home run, his third roundtripper of the season, leading off the top of the third inning tied the score at 1-1 before the hosts scored five unanswered runs to set the final score.
Kosik and Walck each finished the game with two hits in three at bats to pace a seven-hit Rock offensive attack.