SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team dropped both games of its twinbill to No. 30 Slippery Rock University on Saturday.

The Hawks fall to 7-9 on the season while the Rock improve to 9-0 on their 2022 campaign. The teams are scheduled to conclude their four-game set on Sunday, Mar. 20 with the first pitch coming at 12 p.m.

Senior Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) led the Hawks offense with three hits in the doubleheader. Junior Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) went two-for-five across the two games while senior Enzo Merlonghi (Monroe, Conn.) drove in the Hawks run in game two.

Freshman Adam Betty (Lowell, Mass.) and junior John Donovan (Lowell, Mass.) suffered losses in the contests as both started their fourth games of the season on Saturday. Freshman Roman Ercoli (Concord, Mass.), senior Danny Smucker (Cornwall, N.Y.), junior Joe Sgobbo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), junior Mark Monahan (Quincy, Mass.), and junior Avery Mosseau (Bedford, N.H.) all made relief appearances in the doubleheader.

GAME ONE: Slippery Rock 22, Saint Anselm 0

Graduate student Salvatore Pezzolla (East Greenbush, N.Y.) got the Hawks in the hit column in the top of the first inning with a two-out single. However, he was stranded on the bases as Rock pitcher Devin Dunn would get a fly out to close the inning.

Slippery Rock opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as Jon Kozarian doubled home Abraham Mow, who walked to lead off the inning. Betty settled in and got two strikeouts to close out the first inning.

The Rock posted a nine-run second inning as Joel Spishock led off the inning with a solo home run. Later, Kozarian tripled which scored two runs before Alex Robenolt hit a three-run homer. Luke Trueman capped the scoring for the Rock with a three-run home run of his own, which made the score 10-0 through two innings of play.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Rock tacked on nine more runs as Robenolt led off with a solo home run. Spishock doubled home Eddie Morris before a pair of singles from Koby Bubash and Joe Ehland scored two more runs. Connor Hamilton recorded a base loaded walk to score a run before Robenolt doubled to plate two more runs. Morris grounded out to score Hamilton before Robenolt crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

An RBI single by Hamilton gave the hosts a 20-0 lead in the bottom of the fith before a bases loaded walk from Joe Purcell scored a run and paved way for Braden Olson to register a sacrifice fly in the sixth, ultimately closing the contest with a final score of 22-0.

GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 7, Saint Anselm 1

The Rock jumped into the hit column first as Hamilton singled with two outs in the top of the first but Donovan posted a strikeout to close the inning.

Saint Anselm got runners on first and second after seniors Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.) and Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.) singled in the top of the second but they would be stranded on the bases as Trueman got a strikeout to get out of the trouble.

The Rock nearly broke through on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth as Robenolt singled to lead off the inning. After a pop out and a strikeout, Colin Cain and Anthony Cinicola walked to load the bases but a groundout got Donovan out of the jam.

Junior Brady Doran (Greenville, S.C.) was hit by a pitch with two out in the top of the fifth inning and was quickly driven in on a single by Merlonghi which gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead. The Hawks continued to threaten in the inning as Collins singled which moved Merlonghi to third but a strikeout got the Rock out of the jam.

In the bottom of the fifth, Mow led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout before Hamilton walked to put runners on first and second. Mow would advance to third on a fly out but Morris
cleared the bases with a home run, which gave Slippery Rock a 3-1 lead through five innings.

After getting the first two outs of the inning, Mow and Kozarian reached base via walks and Hamilton would do damage with the opportunity, driving a ball over the right center field fence for a three-run home run. Robenolt followed that was a solo home run, going back-to-back to give the Rock a 7-1 lead.

The Hawks got runners on first and second in the top of the seventh inning as Doran walked and Collins singled but a ground out would close the contest at 7-1 in favor of the hosts.