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University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics

PITT-JOHNSTOWN MOUNTAIN CATS

Baseball

Mountain Cats and The Rock Split Another Doubleheader

Slippery Rock, PA

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
For the second straight day, Pitt-Johnstown and Slippery Rock split a pair of games.  Derek Younker pitched a complete-game, and Jake Stern drove in two runs in a 5-4 Mountain Cat victory to open a PSAC West doubleheader at Slippery Rock on Saturday.  The Rock then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh after Pitt-Johnstown scored three in the top of the inning to earn the split with a 6-5 win.  Pitt-Johnstown is now 18-22 overall and 13-11 in conference-play.
 
In game one, Pitt-Johnstown scored two runs in the fourth inning, before adding three more in the fifth to open-up a 5-1 lead, before holding on for the one-run victory.
 
Jake Stern and Matt McMillen each had run-producing base hits in the fourth to put the Mountain Cats in front, 2-0.
 
Slippery Rock answered with a run in the bottom of the frame, but three straight RBI singles in the fifth from Stern, Nate Negri, and Dillon Boyer increased it 5-1.
 
The Rock came back with two more in the sixth and one in the seventh on will Kengor's solo homer, but Derek Younker got Jake Nogalo to fly out with the final out to finish the complete-game.
 
Younker gave up four runs on eight hits to improve to 6-4.  Younker did not allow a walk and fanned three in the complete-game effort.
 
Stern went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while Negri added two hits and drove in a run for Pitt-Johnstown.  Brett Marabito also had two hits and scored a run.
 
In game two, Pitt-Johnstown rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh to regain the lead, but Alex Bell's walk-off RBI hit capped a two-run Slippery Rock seventh inning to give The Rock the split with a 6-5 win.
 
The Mountain Cats scored two runs in the third when Jake Warner scored from third on a wild pitch, and Negri singled home Stern from second.
 
That lead was short-lived after Kevin Jovanovich belted a three-run homerun to put the Rock in front 3-2.
 
Slippery Rock added a run in the sixth, but Pitt-Johnstown came back with three in the seventh to regain the lead.  Marabito and Matt McGhee both scored on a throwing error by Slippery Rock reliever John Kovalik to tie it at four.  Then, Negri singled to center to chase home Kyle Morrow to give the lead back to Pitt-Johnstown, 5-4.
 
However, Slippery Rock scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh off of Andrew Keirn.  Adam Urbania's RBI fielder's choice tied it, and Bell followed with his walk-off hit.
 
Marabito went 3-for-4, and Negri collected two more hits and two more RBI for Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Keirn took the loss and fell to 0-1 after surrendering both runs in the seventh. Ryan Socol got the start for Pitt-Johnstown and held Slippery Rock to three runs on three hits over the first five innings.
 
With the split, Slippery Rock is now 23-15 overall and 12-10 in the PSAC West.
 
Pitt-Johnstown will travel to Gannon University for a PSAC West doubleheader on Friday, before returning home to close out the regular season and celebrate Senior Day with a conference doubleheader against the Golden Knights on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Point Stadium.
 
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