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April 23,
2003
Contact: Bob
McComas (724) 738-2777 e-mail: robert.mccomas@sru.edu
ROCK HARDBALLERS CLINCH SHARE
OF DIVISION TITLE
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University’s
nationally ranked baseball team clinched at least a share of the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division
championship Wednesday night when it swept visiting Clarion by 3-1
and 4-3 scores at Jack Critchfield Park.
The
Rock, now 35-8 overall and 14-2 in PSAC-West play, lead
second-place Indiana U. of Pa. (18-15, 10-6) by four games with
four conference games left to play.
SRU – which is ranked 10th
in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers national poll and
11th in the Collegiate Baseball magazine poll -- can
assure itself of sole possession of its 13th divisional
title in Jeff Messer’s 18 seasons as head coach with a
win in Saturday’s 1 p.m. doubleheader at Indiana.
Senior
right-hander Mike Sikorski (White Oak/McKeesport HS)
improved his record to 7-1 with a three-hit, complete-game pitching
effort in Wednesday’s first game. He allowed one earned run,
struck out six and walked three en route to his sixth complete game
of the season.
In the second game, senior right-hander
Dave Sansom (Grove City/Grove City HS) overcame early
control problems to record his third win in as many decisions this
spring. He also struck out six and walked three and allowed three
earned runs on four hits in six innings. Senior right-hander
Kevin Dvorchak (Smock/Uniontown HS) allowed one hit
and struck out one in the final inning.
Junior designated hitter Bill Wolfe
(Franklin/Franklin HS) was 2-for-3 in each game and
picked up three RBIs in the nightcap to lead The Rock’s
hitting attack.
Sophomore
left fielder Matt Kozusko (Latrobe/Greater Latrobe
HS), junior designated hitter Ben Marzullo
(Brookville/Brookville HS), senior catcher Luke
Mollis (Charleroi/Charleroi HS) and junior shortstop
Nathan Statzer (Harmony/Seneca Valley HS) each had a
double in the first game.
Statzer was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and had one RBI, while
Neidrick had a triple.
# ROCK PRIDE #
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