WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 2) – Senior catcher Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler) delivered a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning on Saturday afternoon, as the Vulcans claimed a split of a doubleheader against Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at Wild Things Park with a 5-4 victory in Game 1 and a 2-0 loss in Game 2.

With the split, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team moves to 16-6 this season with a 2-2 mark in league play. The teams have split the last 10 meetings at Wild Things Park dating back to the 2017 season. Meanwhile, The Rock stands at 14-4 overall and 2-4 in divisional action.

In Game 1, the Vulcans trailed 4-1 entering the bottom of the sixth. Senior shortstop Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) started the inning with a single before Cal U later drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Following a foul-out, Stewart belted an opposite-field grand slam, his first homer of the year, off the video board in right field to give the Vulcans a 5-4 lead.

Senior Dylan Brosky (East Millsboro, Pa./Brownsville) earned the complete-game victory to improve to 4-2 this season. He allowed four runs (all earned) on seven hits while tallying three strikeouts over 7.0 innings (87 pitches). The Rock starter Devin Dunn, a VCU transfer who entered the weekend ranked second in the country with a 0.36 ERA, suffered the loss after yielding five runs (all earned) on seven hits and three walks in 6.0 innings (105 pitches).

Slippery Rock took a 1-0 lead in the first on a solo homer by shortstop Jon Kozarian. The Rock added to lead on a throwing error in the second before stretching the lead to 4-0 on a two-run double in the third. Cal U trimmed the deficit in the fourth when McCaskey scored from third on a wild pitch, 4-1.

McCaskey finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while senior right fielder Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) collected a pair of hits in the victory.

In Game 2, the teams were scoreless until The Rock took a 2-0 lead in the top of seventh. Slippery Rock collected four-straight singles to claim the lead before a ground-out and strikeout ended the inning.

Redshirt freshman Aidan Ruiz (Perry Hall, Md./The John Carroll School) suffered the loss after surrendering two runs (both earned) on four hits in 1.0 inning of relief. Junior Devin Foster (Davidsville, Pa./Conemaugh Township) took a no-decision after scattering six hits over 6.0 scoreless innings (100 pitches). Slippery Rock starter Ricky Mineo, who leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings, registered eight strikeouts and allowed six hits in 7.0 innings (104 pitches) to earn the complete-game shutout.

The Rock threatened with a two-out rally in the top of the second with runners on the corners before a called third strike ended the inning. Senior third baseman Louden Conte (California, Pa./California) laced a triple to right center in the fourth before a strikeout and line-out kept the game scoreless. Cal U again stranded a runner at third base in the fifth before a two-out single in the sixth placed runners on the corners. Mineo then halted the threat with a strikeout.

McCaskey and Conte both finished 2-for-3 in the contest. McCaskey, who started the game at first base, extended his hitting streak to 15 games to mark the program's longest streak since the 2015 season.

The Vulcans return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 3, with a doubleheader at Slippery Rock, starting at 1 p.m.