Slippery Rock was looking for the upset over No. 13 California (Pa.) in game one of the two-game set, but just came up short in a back and forth game, losing 5-4 and then 3-1 in the second game.
The Rock struck first in the second inning when junior Caitlin Baxter hit a solo home run to put SRU out in front. After California (Pa.) tied the game back up in the third inning, sophomore Allie Fischer homered in the bottom of the fifth. Cal U would then score a run in the top of the sixth inning, but the Rock would crack another home run coming from sophomore Lauren Hawley that scored sophomore Emily Nagle putting the Rock back in front at 4-2 in the bottom half of the inning.
However, Cal U was able to battle back in the seventh, scoring three runs and ultimately leading to the final score of 5-4 and California (Pa.) picking up the win.
The second game was more of a pitchers duel between California (Pa.) senior Meghan Uher and Slippery Rock sophomore Paige Flore, along with junior Carly DeRose providing some relief.
No runs were scored until the fourth inning when Cal U struck first with a home run and then a sacrifice fly. Later, Cal U would score another in the sixth inning on a bases loaded walk.
Slippery Rock would score in the sixth on an RBI single by the senior Stacey Herzog scoring senior Ashley Samluk. However, it was not enough to mount the comeback and the final score was 3-1.
With the losses, Slippery Rock drops to 9-12 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Rock will look to bounce back on March 26 with a double-header at home against Seton Hill. First pitch for game one is scheduled at 1:00 p.m.
