Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Junior catcher Mitchell Monas collected five RBIs and junior first baseman Derek DiRuscia picked up four Saturday afternoon to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to a 5-2, 12-1 doubleheader sweep of visiting Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action at Jack Critchfield Park.

The sweep was only the fourth recorded by the Green and White in 15 twinbills this spring, but the wins move SRU's overall record back to .500 at 18-18 and improved its PSAC-West record to 11-9.

Most importantly, coupled with Gannon's two losses Saturday at California, the victories moved SRU into a tie with Gannon for fourth place in the PSAC-West standings. That is significant since the top four teams in the division at the end of the regular season will advance to the PSAC playoffs April 28-May 1 in Johnstown.

California (23-10 overall) leads the division with a 14-2 record, followed by Indiana (17-18) at 13-3, Mercyhurst (16-16) at 10-6 and The Rock and Gannon (17-17).

Lock Haven saw its season records fall to 9-23 overall and 1-15 in PSAC-West action. Clarion is in the division cellar at 0-14 (3-21 overall).

The Rock returns to the diamond Tuesday, when it will visit Seton Hill for a 1 p.m. non-conference doubleheader, before turning its attention to next weekend's four-game series vs. Mercyhurst.

SRU and the Lakers are scheduled to open the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday at Critchfield Park before closing out the set with a 1 p.m. twinbill next Saturday in Erie.

DiRuscia was 4-for-8 in Saturday's doubleheader, with a double in each game, to lead a 20-hit Rock offensive attack. Monas, junior shortstop Adam Jury and senior second baseman Billy Messer each finished the day 3-for-6.

The Rock 5, Lock Haven 2

The Rock rode a complete-game pitching effort by senior right-hander Don Pugliese and a three-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth inning to victory in Saturday's first game.

The three-run rally broke a 2-2 stalemate that was the result of single tallies scored by The Rock in the second and fourth innings that Lock Haven answered with single runs in the top of the third and fifth frames.

Key hits in the game-winning bottom-of-the-sixth rally were a one-out double by freshman third baseman Jamison Walck, a two-run triple by sophomore right fielder Matt Kosik and an RBI single by senior designated hitter Jacob Oswalt.

Jury's first home run of the season, a solo blast in the bottom of the second inning, accounted for the first run of the game. The Rock manufactured its second run from a Lock Haven error, a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch and an RBI single by Monas in the fourth.

The game-winning rally in the sixth rewarded Pugliese (3-1) for a strong complete-game pitching effort in which he allowed two runs (one earned) on only three hits and struck out nine. He faced only four batters over the minimum of 21 required for a seven-inning route-going effort.

Kosik, one of seven Rock hitters who each had one hit in the game, was the only player in the game to pick up two RBIs.

The Rock 12, Lock Haven 1

Lock Haven scored a single run in the top of the first inning but was shutout the rest of the way while The Rock got single runs in the bottom of the first and third innings, exploded for six runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.

Monas was 2-for-4 with four RBIs to pace a 20-hit Rock attack. DiRuscia was 3-for-4 with one RBI and Jury, Messer and junior center fielder Matt Howard each added a pair of hits.

DiRuscia, Jury, Messer, Monas and sophomore left fielder Carter Haponski each had a double in the game and Howard added a triple to account for The Rock's extra-base hits.

Senior right-hander Vince Lloyd was The Rock's starting and winning pitcher. He allowed one earned run on three hits, struck out six and walked five in the first four and two-thirds innings to even his season record at 2-2.

Junior left-hander Zach Jeney allowed one hit, struck out two and walked two in the final two and one-third innings to close out the game.

Notes:

Haponski had a 12-game hitting streak snapped by an 0-for-2 effort in Saturday's first game ... Messer has now hit safely in eight straight games, the longest current streak on the team ... Howard's 19-game hitting streak from Feb. 21 to March 26 is the longest recorded by a Rock player this spring. Walck had a 16-game streak that started the same day as Howard's but ended six days earlier ... Monas, normally an outfielder, made his third and fourth starts of the season at catcher Saturday to fill in for normal receivers hampered by nagging injuries ... Rock pitchers have now gone three straight games without hitting a batter after plunking 56 in the first 33 games this spring.