SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team fell to No. 30 Slippery Rock University by a 5-1 score in the series opening game on Friday.

The Hawks fall to 7-7 on the season, snapping a five-game winning streak. The Rock, who are ranked 30th nationally by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, improve to 7-0 on the season. The teams are set for a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 19 with the action starting at 1 p.m.

Senior Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.), junior Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.), and sophomore Nolan Elmore (Brentwood, N.H.) recorded two hits each for the Hawks. Borrelli was credited with a run batted in for Saint Anselm, who grinded out nine hits in the ballgame. The Hawks left 16 runners on base in the contest.

Junior Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) drew the start for Saint Anselm and went five innings. He allowed four runs on four hits while striking out six. Sophomore Will Hunter (Middleton, Mass.) and freshman Jared Reminder (Warwick, R.I.) came on in relief and combined to allow one run on five hits in three innings of work.

Slippery Rock struck first as Connor Hamilton launched his fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning. Bedder had gotten the first two batters in the inning to strikeout before the Hamilton big fly. Bedder got Alex Robenolt to fly out, closing the first inning with the Rock leading, 1-0.

Saint Anselm recorded its first hit in the top of the second when Collins laced a double into the left center field gap. However, he was stranded at second as a strikeout closed the inning.

The Rock would add to their lead in the bottom of the second as a single and three consecutive walks brought in a run, pushing the score to 2-0. Bedder would get out of the bases loaded jam with a flyout.

The Hawks managed to load the bases themselves in the top of the third after sophomore Zack Clough (Newbury, Mass.) singled, followed by a walk from graduate student Salvatore Pezzolla (East Greenbush, N.Y.). Senior Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.) kept the inning going with a single but Slippery Rock pitcher, Ricky Mineo, got out of the trouble with a strikeout.

Slippery Rock registered another two-out home run as Eddie Morris drove a ball down the right field line to give the Rock a 3-0 lead through three innings of play.

Saint Anselm managed to get runners to second and third in the top of the fourth inning as Borrelli and Collins reached via single and walk and advanced 90 feet on a passed ball but Mineo got a strikeout looking to close the Hawks half of the fourth.

Trueman would lead off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run, the third of the game for the Rock, to extend the lead to 4-0.

Pezzolla got the Hawks in business in the top of the fifth inning with a one-out double. A walk from Maurice and single by Elmore loaded the bases for the second time in the game for the Hawks. However, a fly out and a fielder's choice got Mineo and the Rock out of the inning, unscathed.

The Hawks broke through on the scoreboard after Elmore was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch, Borrelli singled to center field scoring the sophomore, which made the score 4-1 in the top of the seventh. After a single by Collins and a walk by junior Will Panarello (Barrington, R.I.), Saint Anselm had the bases loaded but a ground out on a strong defensive play by Jon Kozarian closed the inning.

Slippery Rock reestablished its four-run advantage when Morris doubled down the right field scoring Hamilton who reached on a fielder's choice two batters previous. That pushed the score to 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh.

In the top of the ninth, Elmore singled before Collins walked with two outs, putting runners on first and second. However, a groundout would seal the contest for the Rock by a 5-1 score.