SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Looking to pick up their second and third victories of the season, the Clarion baseball team traveled to PSAC West foe Slippery Rock, Friday afternoon, earning a split with The Rock, taking game one by a final score of 3-1 and dropping the nightcap by a final margin of 8-1.
The win and loss moves the Golden Eagles to 2-5 overall while Slippery Rock moves to 7-2 on the young season.
It was Freshman Logan Schlegel who picked up his first collegiate victory on the mound for the Golden Eagles, tossing 7.0 complete innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits, while fanning six Rock hitters. Throwing 86 pitches and facing 26 total Slippery Rock batters, Schlegel tossed a gem, allowing no walks through the duration of the game.
Opposing pitcher Luke Trueman threw 7.0 complete innings as well, allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks.
It was the Golden Eagles who struck first like they have so many times this season, scoring two runs in the top of the third inning, opening the gap to 2-0 over the hosting Rock.
Freshman Dan Byers led the inning off with a single to center field and Matt Privette followed that up with a walk on a 3-2 at bat that lasted eight pitches.
With runners on first and second Alex Ficorilli singled through the left side to load the bases and Nick Fugh drove in the games first two runs on a fielder's choice that saw Ficorilli out at second but allowed Byers and Privette to score to put the Blue and Gold in control.
A good old fashioned pitchers duel, Schlegel and Trueman battled back and forth as no runner touched the base path until the top of the fifth inning when the Golden Eagles pushed one more run across to add to their already commanding 2-0 lead.
It was deja vu as Byers led the top of the fifth frame off with a single and Privette reached base on a fielder's choice.
After a Ficorilli sacrifice bunt that allowed both runners to move into scoring position, cather Thomas Lavin flied out to right field that allowed Byers to score pushing the lead to 3-0 Clarion.
Still looking to put a chip in Schlegel's armor, The Rock was able to push one run across in the bottom of the sixth after a pair of back to back doubles from the heart of the Slippery Rock lineup making it 3-1, but Schlegel would shut the door on The Rock attack striking out the last batter of the inning on a 1-2 fastball and ultimately giving Clarion the win.
Game two saw much more scoring, early and often as Slippery Rock was able to pick up the victory 8-1.
SRU picked up four runs in the bottom of the first inning, putting Clarion in an early hole 4-0.
Adding runs in the bottom of the second and third innings, Slippery Rock quickly built a commanding 6-0 lead six hits as Clarion tried to claw back in the late innings to no avail.
Looking to put runners on base, Ficorilli singled to right center field in the top of the fifth inning and Will Constantin followed that up with a single of his own that scored Byers who led the inning off with a walk giving Clarion their lone run, making the score 6-1.
Slippery Rock added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning pushing their lead to 8-1, while Clarion was only able to add one more hit in the top of the seventh before a strikeout ended the game.
Ficorilli paced the Clarion attack in game two, going 2 for 3, drawing one walk, Constantin picked up the lone RBI for the Golden Eagles going 1 for 2 in the game with one walk.
Michael Proios got the nod for head Coach Doc Neiman, tossing 1.2 innings allowing two earned runs and four hits while striking out one.
Clarion will look to win the series out tomorrow afternoon when they head back to Slippery Rock to take on The Rock in games three and four. First pitch is slated for 1 pm and Jack Critchfield Park.
