April 12, 2005

Slippery Rock, Pa. - The Rock dropped both ends of Tuesday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division doubleheader vs. visiting California, 14-1 and 6-2, to fall out of a third-place tie in the conference standings.

The losses dropped The Rock's overall record to 22-12 and its PSAC-West mark to 6-6.

California (19-11, 8-4) took over sole possession of third place with the wins.

SRU jumps from the frying pan into the fire on Friday as it hosts division-leading Lock Haven (25-5, 10-0) in a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader on the Harmony Road field.

With the losses on Tuesday, The Rock remains one win shy of tying the school record for wins in a season. The 1980 team had a 23-5 final record.

The Rock managed only three hits in Tuesday's first game, an RBI single by Stacey Rhoades in the bottom of the first inning and a double and single by Niki Banner.

California, on the other hand, pounded out 16 hits including five home runs and two doubles.

Rock head coach Vashion Johnson used four pitchers in the first game. Courtney Conron was tagged with the loss and saw her record fall to 8-8.

SRU wasted a golden opportunity to take early control of the first game and never recovered.

Andrea Murdock led off The Rock first with a base on balls and moved around to third on Banner's double before Rhoades singled her home with the first run of the game.

Rhoades' hit put runners on first and third bases with no one out and The Rock's No. 4, 5 and 6 hitters coming up, but the threat was thwarted by a bunt out, called third strike out and a foul pop up.

California then scored five runs in the top of the second inning and never looked back. A five-run Vulcan outburst in the fourth made it 10-1 before the guests brought an early end to the proceedings with four tallies in the top of the fifth.

The Rock answered a single run by California in the top of the first inning of the second game with two runs of its own, only to have the Vulcans score twice in the top of the second to regain the lead.

California added single tallies in the third, sixth and seventh innings to close out the scoring.

SRU had six hits in the game, three of which came in the first inning. Murdock, Jesse Gump and Carrie Casoni had a single each in the rally.

Both Rock runs scored when a California outfielder let the ball hit by Gump bounce off her foot and roll to the base of the right field fence.

California had 11 hits off Rock pitcher Brittany Hahn, who saw her record dip to 12-3.