Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The Slippery Rock University baseball team had to settle for a split Saturday night in non-conference doubleheader action against Lake Erie College (Ohio) at Jack Critchfield Park.

Performing a proverbial Jekyll-Hyde routine, The Rock rolled to a 12-2 win in the first game before it blew a six-run lead in the seventh inning and lost a 10-9 decision in the nightcap.

The split gave SRU a 24-21 overall record heading into its final two games of the regular-season, a noon doubleheader Sunday vs. Lake Erie (18-25) at Critchfield Park.

The Rock will look to gain some much-needed momentum and confidence heading into Wednesday's first-round game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships at Point Stadium in Johnstown.

SRU, the No. 4 seed from the PSAC-Western Division, opens conference tournament action at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday against West Chester (35-10), the PSAC-Eastern Division champion.

The Rock began Saturday's doubleheader vs. Lake Erie in fine form as it rolled up a 12-0 lead after four innings of Game 1 and cruised home. The double-digit run total was the seventh recorded by The Rock in its last nine games.

Junior catcher Mitchell Monas (2-for-4 with a triple) and sophomore right fielder Matt Kosik (3-for-3, 3 RBIs) led a 14-hit Rock attack that included five extra-base hits. Junior center fielder Matt Howard and senior designated hitter Jacob Oswalt (double) each collected two RBIs and senior second baseman Billy Messer slapped a pair of doubles.

Junior right-hander George Hebert was the starting pitcher and prime beneficiary of the offensive effort. He pitched four scoreless innings, struck out two and walked two en route to his team-leading sixth win in seven decisions this spring.

The Rock appeared to be in position to record a second straight lopsided win in Saturday's game as it held an 8-1 lead after five innings and an 9-3 lead after six frames.

Lake Erie trimmed the margin to 8-3 with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth in a rally that began with a dropped fly ball in the outfield and also included two hits and a hit batsman.

After The Rock got a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 9-3 game, The Storm manufactured a seven-run explosion in the top of the seventh inning out of two singles, three wild pitches, three bases on balls, two Rock errors and one hit batsman.

The tying and winning runs scored when, with two outs and the bases loaded, Rock center fielder Matt Howard dropped a potential game-ending fly ball.

Junior right-hander Colin McCoy (1-1) was the hard-luck loser after he allowed one unearned run and walked one in the final one-third of an inning.

McCoy, who also pitched the final inning of Saturday's first game, replaced senior right-hander Justin Thomas after he had allowed six runs (two earned) on two hits, struck out one, walked two, hit a bat and thrown two wild pitches in two-thirds of an inning.

Freshman southpaw Joby Lapkowicz was in the position to improve his record to 3-4 when he left the game after four innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits, struck out eight and walked one during his stint on the mound.

Offensively, The Rock had 13 hits including three each by Howard and junior left fielder Carter Haponski. Howard collected three RBIs to lead The Rock in that category, while Haponski and sophomore catcher John Murray had a double each for the only extra-base hits.