Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore
Postgame video interview

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team went from one extreme to the other offensively Friday afternoon en route to scoring a split against visiting Clarion University in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action at Jack Critchfield Park.

The Rock came within one out of being shutout in the first game as a two-out solo home run by senior catcher-first baseman Derek DiRuscia accounted for the only Rock run in a 9-1 loss.

Less than an hour later, a grand slam home run by senior center fielder Matt Howard highlighted a 10-run first-inning rally and senior shortstop Adam Jury added a two-run blast two innings later to propel The Rock to a 12-2 win.

When it was all said and done, SRU owned a 15-9 overall record and a 4-2 PSAC-West mark that stood as the best in the division,, while Clarion had 4-15 and 2-2 records.

Weather permitting, the teams are scheduled to conclude their four-game weekend and season series with a 1 p.m. game Saturday in Clarion.

Clarion freshman right-hander Mike Dunn retired The Rock in order in each of the first three innings in Friday's first game and was staked to a 5-0 lead before the hosts got their first runner on base.

Any hopes of a Rock rally were quickly snuffed out when junior right fielder Derek Carr, after legging out a bunt single for SRU's first hit of the game, was caught leaning the wrong way and picked off first base.

Following Carr's bunt single and before DiRuscia smacked a pitch well over the right-center field fence, Dunn only allowed two Rock runners to reach base.

Rock senior right-hander George Hebert (2-3) was tagged with the first-game loss after he allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits, struck out two and walked two in the first four innings. Freshman righty John Kovalik yielded three earned runs on four hits, struck out one and walked one in two innings of relief work before junior righty Cory Johnson allowed one hit, struck out one and hit one batter in the final frame.

Dunn (2-1) finished the game with eight strikeouts and two bases on balls in a seven-inning complete-game pitching performance.

Clarion second-game starting and losing pitcher Mark White did not fare as well. He lasted only two-thirds of an inning and was saddled with eight earned runs on five hits.

In addition to Howard's grand-slam homer, The Rock got first-inning RBI hits from DiRuscia, Carr, sophomore third baseman Jamison Walck and junior designated hitter Matt Kosik (double). Freshman second baseman Lee Foxton also picked up an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Jury's two-run roundtripper in the third extended The Rock's lead to 12-0 before Clarion scored single tallies in the fourth and sixth frames to set the final margin.

Howard, Walck and Kosik each picked up three hits and Jury added two to lead a 13-hit Rock offensive attack in Game 2.

Matt Rossi was the only Clarion player to finish the game with more than one hit, He smacked a solo home run in the fourth and singled home the Golden Eagles' final run.

Rock senior southpaw Zach Jeney was the beneficiary of his teammates' first-inning outburst and improved his season record to 3-1. He allowed two earned runs of five hits, struck out six and walked one in six innings.

Sophomore right-hander Nic McCowin allowed one hit and struck out one in the final inning.

Notes:

The Game 1 loss snapped a seven-game Rock win streak and was the first setback in seven home games this spring ... Friday's twinbill concluded a string of eight straight home games for The Rock, who are scheduled to return home for a non-conference doubleheader Sunday vs. Shepherd (1 p.m. first pitch) ... Howard leads The Rock in hitting (.413), home runs (4) and RBIs (25), while Jury is hitting .278 with two circuit clouts and 18 RBIs ... Carr is hitting .312 and has 14 RBIs to his credit ... As a team, The Rock has improved its batting average by 21 points to a .254 mark in 10 games since returning home from their annual spring trip to Florida.