MANSFIELD, Pa. - The Mansfield University baseball team was swept by Slippery Rock University in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon, April 18 at Joseph Shaute Field.

The Rock won game one, 10-3, before taking the nightcap, 5-1. Following the losses, Mansfield's record drops to 10-24 overall while Slippery Rock improves to 18-17 overall.

Jacob Houtz put together a strong doubleheader for the Mounties, as he homered in game one and pitched four strong innings as the starter in game two. 

GAME ONE: SRU 10, MU 3

The Mounties dug an early hole after The Rock plated four runs on five hits in the top of the first inning, however, they quickly cut the deficit in half, in the bottom of the inning, when Houtz sent a two-run homer over the wall in right center. 

SRU added a run to their lead with a solo shot in the second.

The Mountaineer bullpen took over from there and was excellent, as Evan Woznick and Lorenzo Febbo combined to hold The Rock scoreless over the next three innings to give the Mounties an opportunity to climb back in the game. 

However, the Rock plated five runs over the final two innings and limited MU to just one more run to secure the victory. 

Houtz homered and Marcus Nales doubled and scored a run to lead the Mounties' offense. 

Justin Marykwas (0-2) was dealt the loss for MU, allowing give runs on six hits in two innings.

For SRU, Luke Trueman led the offense with a home run and four RBI, while Eion Rossman picked up the victory on the bump, limiting MU to two runs over 5.2 innings. 

GAME TWO: SRU 5 , MU 1

After leading the Mounties in game one with his stick, Houtz took the rubber as Mansfield's starting pitcher in the nightcap, starting the game with three scoreless frames while allowing just one hit. 

However, The Rock hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead at the midway point. 

The Mounties answered with a solo run an inning later after David Kilroy doubled and came around to score on an RBI single by Ryan Scott, making it 2-1.

However, the longball continued to bite the Mounties as SRU hit their fifth of the afternoon in the top of the seventh to go up 5-1 and never looked back. 

Houtz was strong in the circle despite landing the loss, limiting SRU to one run on three hits in 4.0 innings. 

Harold Ivery had his best game of his young career for MU, finishing the contest with two hits, including a double. Nales and Scott also finished with two hits, while Scott added an RBI. 

Robert Herr picked up the victory in the circle for Slippery Rock, limiting the Mounties to one run in five-complete innings. Three different SRU hitters left the yard to lead their offense. 

NEXT UP
The Mounties host Lock Haven University at Joseph Shaute Field on Friday, April 21 at 2 p.m. to kick-off a three-game PSAC East series.