Red Raiders Drop Two Games on Senior Day, Head to PSAC Championship as Third-Seed
Apr. 28, 2007
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Behind two strong
pitching performances from Chris Squeglia and Rich Hocanson, the Slippery
Rock baseball team swept a doubleheader at Shippensburg’s Fairchild
Field on Saturday, 2-0 and 5-2.
The win assured The Rock (31-13, 14-6 PSAC West), ranked fifth in the NCAA
Division II North Atlantic Region poll, of at least the Western Division’s
No. 2-seed in next week’s PSAC Baseball Championship being held on
its own home field at Jack Critchfield Park.
California (Pa.) swept a doubleheader at home against Lock Haven on Saturday,
leaving the Vulcans one-game behind Slippery Rock.
A sweep of the Bald Eagles by California (Pa.) on Sunday would give the
Vulcans their third-straight PSAC Western Division championship and the
division’s top-seed in next week’s conference tournament with
a conference mark of 15-5.
For Shippensburg (23-21, 13-7 PSAC West), it will be the No. 3-seed in
next week’s PSAC Baseball Championship and will open against an opponent
yet to be determined at 9:00 a.m., Thursday morning.
As for Saturday’s games, Squeglia held the Red Raiders to just two
hits while striking out six in improving his record to 2-5 this season.
The win was the first shutout of the season for Squeglia who entered the
game with a 4.88 earned run average.
Not to be outdone, senior Ross Buckwalter (Ephrata/Ephrata) pitched a complete-game,
striking out four while scattering six hits.
The Rock broke open a scoreless game in the top of the sixth on an RBI-groundout
to second by M.J. Parsons that scored Phil Butch who led off the inning
with a walk, Buckwalter’s only free-pass of the game.
Butch added an insurance run for Slippery Rock in the seventh when he drove
in Jacob Oswalt with an RBI-single through the left side.
Sophomore Tyler Redick (Fairfield/Walkersville (Md.)) and senior Justin
Garber (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown) each had one hit for Shippensburg.
Game two was also scoreless through four innings before each team drove
in runs in the fifth. Then in the sixth, the Rock would score three runs, including
two on an RBI-single to left by Parsons who would
later score on an RBI-single to center by Billy Messer.
After Slippery Rock increased its lead to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly by Matt Adams that was caught in foul territory down the left field line, Shippensburg was down to its final out when senior Eric Perlozzo (Cumberland, Md./Bishop Walsh) single to right center and then scored on a triple to right by Garber.
However, it was not enough as Mike DeCola retired the next batter to secure The Rock's ninth win in its last 10 games.
Hocanson maintained his perfect record this season, moving to 5-0 after allowing just five hits and one earned run in six innings despite surrendering three walks. For Shippensburg, senior Frank D'Agostino (Pine Grove/Pine Grove) gave up four runs on just four hits after striking out four of the first five batters he faced.
Garber went 2-for-3 with two RBI's in game while Perlozzo also finished 2-for-3 with a run.
- Red Raider Baseball -
