SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. --- Scott McManamon broke the program's single-season home run record in a victory on Thursday afternoon, highlighting a doubleheader split for the Golden Eagle baseball team against Slippery Rock. Clarion won the first game of the twinbill 4-3 before falling 7-1 in the nightcap.
 
Clarion 4, Slippery Rock 3
Recap: McManamon's record-breaking homer came in his very first at-bat of the game, putting a sweet start to a game that the Golden Eagles held on to win in the late innings. In fact, it came on the very first pitch that McManamon saw from starting pitcher Joey Purcell, with the junior shortstop depositing the ball over the left field fence to give his team a 1-0 lead.
 
The home run was McManamon's 10^th clout of the season. That broke a tie he held with Thomas Lavin, who hit nine home runs during the 2021 season. McManamon tied Lavin just 24 hours previous, in a Golden Eagle win over Penn State – DuBois.
 
The shortstop was not done with that solo shot, though. He increased Clarion's lead to 2-0 in the third inning. Sam Economy led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on Nate Petke's sacrifice bunt, and McManamon drove him home with a two-out single to left field.
 
The Rock got two of those runs back in the fourth inning, evening the score on a sacrifice fly by Colin Cain that made it 2-2. Clarion broke that deadlock in the top of the sixth inning. Daren Byers led off the frame with a double and Lenny Piccini did the rest, hitting his second home run in as many days to put the Golden Eagles ahead 4-2. Riley Palmer gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth as Slippery Rock pulled to within one, but he proceeded to throw a scoreless seventh.
 
Palmer picked up the win in relief of starter Michael Proios, who left the game after 4.1 innings pitched with the score tied at 2-2. Palmer entered in the fifth inning and stranded the inherited runner with a groundout and a strikeout.
 
Slippery Rock 7, Clarion 1
Recap: The Rock jumped on the Golden Eagles in the first inning, scoring four runs off starter Logan Schlegel to take the lead. Much of the damage came with the bases loaded, as Cam Panyko Morris drew a walk to drive in a run and Braden Olson was hit by a pitch to bring in another.
 
Slippery Rock tacked on two more runs in the third inning to take a 6-0 lead, but Byers got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth. Caden Contant led off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then moved to third base on a grounder to the right side by Mason Kepler. Byers pulled a single through the hole to score him from third, cutting the lead to 6-1.
 
That would be the major extent of the offense, though, as the Rock generally kept the Golden Eagles under their thumb. Starter Parke Hogge worked a complete game, allowing five hits and just one run in seven innings of action. For Clarion, reliever Griffin Snyder entered in the third inning, allowing just one run on four its in 3.1 innings of relief.
 
McManamon tacked on three more hits in the second game, while Byers and Kasey Shughart also provided hits.
 
 
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