Dylan Broderick's walk-off homer to right-center to start the bottom of the seventh in game two of a doubleheader lifted Pitt-Johnstown to a 4-3 win and a PSAC Western Division sweep over Slippery in Thursday's home finale at Point Stadium. The Mountain Cats took the opener, 2-0, behind
Ben Briggs' four-hit shutout to improve to 17-30 overall and 10-16 in conference-play.
In game one, Pitt-Johnstown's
Ben Briggs and Slippery Rock's Joey Purcell locked up in a scoreless pitchers' duel until the Mountain Cats struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Broderick walked and moved to third on
Josh Ulery's hit-and-run single to right. Ulery then stole second and
Asher Corl delivered a two-run single to center.
Briggs made that lead stand up. After a lead-off double in the top of the seventh, Briggs retired the next three hitters to close out the complete-game shutout and improve to 4-5. He allowed four hits, struck out two, and walked one.
Corl drove in two with his base hit, and Broderick and Ulery accounted for Pitt-Johnstown's other two this.


In game two, Ulery's ground out chased home Broderick to give Pitt-Johnstown the lead after one inning, but Braden Olson's solo homer to left in the Slippery Rock half of the third knotted it at one.
Noah Ross connected for a two-out solo homer in the top of the fourth to put the Rock on top, 2-1.
The Mountain Cats answered with two in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. Corl's ground out scored Broderick and a
Jake Ansell scored from third on a balk by Slippery Rock reliever Jake Norris.
Luke Truman's solo homer in the top of the sixth tied it at three, but Broderick belted a long home run to right-center to lead off the bottom of the seventh that gave Pitt-Johnstown the 4-3 victory.
Broderick went 3-for-3 with a homer and three runs scored, while
Alex Glumac had two hits, and Ulery added a hit and an RBI for the Mountain Cats.
Rodney Shultz tossed a complete-game to improve to 7-2 after giving up three runs on four hits, while striking out a career-high eight and not allowing a walk.
With the losses, the Rock fell to 22-25 overall and 7-19 in the PSAC West.
Pitt-Johnstown will wrap-up the 2023 regular season and the four-game PSAC Western Division series with the Rock with a pair of games in Slippery Rock on Friday starting at 1 p.m.