Box Scores
W 10-7 / L 5-2
FORT PIERCE, Fla. - East Stroudsburg University scored three runs in each of the final three innings, including a home run by senior OF Mike Bortz, as the Warriors beat Slippery Rock 10-7 in the first game of a doubleheader on Monday in south Florida.
Slippery Rock (6-2) won the second game 5-2 to hand the Warriors (8-4) their first loss after opening their spring break trip with a sweep of PSAC West member Mercyhurst on Saturday.
In the opener, Slippery Rock scored twice in the first inning and once in the second, and the Warriors scratched out a run in the top of the second to trail 3-1 going into the top of the fifth.
Freshman SS Evan Gallagher reached on a one-out infield single, senior 2B Chad Schlegel walked and Bortz followed with his third home run of the season to put ESU ahead 4-3. Bortz also homered for the final two runs of a six-run sixth inning in a 9-8 win over Mercyhurst two days ago.
Slippery Rock went ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, with three hits in the inning including a RBI triple by Billy Messer, before junior Christian Saveri entered to get the final two outs. ESU took the lead for good in the sixth.
Junior DH Brendan O'Malley was hit by a pitch to start the inning, junior 3B Anthony Clemens had a bunt single, and junior C Brendan O'Connor singled to bring home O'Malley with the tying run. Schlegel had the go-ahead RBI to score Clemens, and senior 1B Mark Angelo lifted a sacrifice fly that plated sophomore Edwin Padua, who pinch ran for O'Connor.
Saveri threw a scoreless sixth inning and the Warriors put up three more runs in the top of the seventh to go ahead 10-5, as O'Malley had an RBI double and Clemens and Schlegel both had run-scoring hits. Slippery Rock added two runs in the bottom of the seventh for the 10-7 final.
Freshman Andy Noga took the ball for his second career start and struck out five while surrendering five runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings. Saveri got the final eight outs, including four strikeouts, and notched his first win of the season.
ESU had 13 hits in the first game, led by a 3-for-4 day by Clemens, which included two bunt singles. Schlegel, Angelo and O'Malley had two hits each.
In the second game, Vince Lloyd gave up four hits, struck out 10, walked one and pitched around five hit batters in Slippery Rock's 5-2 win.
Matt Adams was 3-for-4 at the plate and 5-for-7 for the doubleheader, including a two-run double that gave the Rock a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. He also had an RBI single as part of a two-run first inning.
ESU cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first, as Lloyd hit Angelo, walked Bortz and senior OF Thompson reached on catcher's interference for the second time in the doubleheader to load the bases with two outs. O'Malley was hit by a pitch for the third straight game to bring in the Warriors' first run.
Freshman 2B Ryan Guarino was hit by a pitch and scored ESU's second run to make it 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore C Bryce Muth singled to put runners at the corners and Lloyd was called for a balk to bring Guarino across the plate.
Slippery Rock scored an insurance run to make it 5-2 in the sixth and took the lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Warriors managed to bring the tying run to the plate after Bortz doubled and Zsenak ran out an infield single, but Lloyd got Thompson to ground out to second to end the threat.
Senior Jason Colletti made his 30th career start, tied for fifth in school history, and gave up four hits, four runs and struck out four batters in five innings. Senior Bill Hezel tossed the final two frames and had two strikeouts while giving up an unearned run.
ESU is back on the field on Tuesday with two games against Northwood (Mich.) beginning at 12 p.m.
