SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team opened a non-conference doubleheader with a win against Slippery Rock on Sunday, 3-2, before dropping Game 2, 6-4, at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (9-4) notched 12 hits across two games while the Raider pitching staff totaled 16 strikeouts and just three walks.
 
Slippery Rock (2-2) capped off its opening weekend by recording 11 hits in the second leg of Sunday's doubleheader.
 
Shippensburg will return to Fairchild Field on Saturday against Le Moyne for its first of two weekend doubleheaders. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
 
Game 1: Shippensburg 3, Slippery Rock 2
 
Slippery Rock jumped ahead to an early edge in Game 1, as a pair of first-inning singles from Alex Robenolt and Luke Trueman each brought home a runner to give The Rock an early 2-0 lead.
 
The Raiders responded in the bottom of the second when junior Austin Baal scored on an RBI groundout from graduate Justin Byler.
 
SU tied the game in the third when junior Andrew Chronister dropped a single into centerfield, allowing sophomore Gio Calamia to easily score from third.
 
The subsequent at bat saw Baal line his second hit of the game into the left-center field gap, bringing freshman Mike Heckman home from second base to give Shippensburg a 3-2 lead.
 
The score remained 3-2 until the final pitch, as the Raiders won its ninth game of the season.
 
Freshman J.T. Weaver stayed perfect for SU, picking up his third collegiate victory. The right-hander posted an impressive eight strikeouts while giving up only two hits. In his last 18.2 innings pitched, Weaver has allowed just four hits and recorded 23 strikeouts.
 
Game 2: Slippery Rock 6, Shippensburg 4
 
The top of the first inning finished in similar fashion as it did in Game 1, with The Rock jumping out to a 2-0 lead. However, these runs were the result of a pair of solo shots over the left field wall by Jon Kozarian and Alex Robenolt.
 
Slippery Rock extended its lead in the second with an RBI triple from Joseph Ehland, before tacking on an additional run in the third off an RBI single from Darryn Callahan.
 
Byler recorded the Raiders first hit of Game 2 in the fourth inning with an RBI single to bring home Baal.
 
Chronister recorded two RBIs in the bottom of the fifth after ripping a double down the left field line.
 
Sophomore Jaxon Dalena tied the game in the subsequent at bat, tagging up on third base on a Baal lineout to left field.
 
Slippery Rock would reclaim the lead in the top of the seventh with Alex Robenolt blasting his second home run over the left field wall, a two-run shot that ended up being the deciding factor.
 
Junior Ethan Miller was tacked with the loss, despite striking out five batters and walking one.