Originally published in print April 14,2025

Erie, Pa. —The Gannon Golden Knights baseball team split a four–game weekend against Slippery Rock University. After picking up two wins on Sunday, Gannon improved on its win total from last season after earning their 12th victory. This would be the only time the Golden Knights (12–16) and Rock (17–11) would face off this season.

The first two games will be played at Slippery Rock on Friday. Gannon pitcher Ryan Hood had an efficient afternoon only allowing five hits and zero runs in six innings. After allowing a leadoff double in the seventh, Ryan Bioni relieved Hood in the scoreless game. Slippery Rock’s Jimmy Sadler doubled to right center field paving the way for Clay Wiesen to score a walk off run. The Rock would win the first game 1–0.

Looking to even the series in game two, Gannon would find the first run in the back half of the doubleheader. In the third inning, Frank Kula would hit a ground ball with two runners on allowing Hunter Troiano to score. In the top of the fourth, Brendan Koroly’s double allowed Connor Smith to score and extend the lead to two. Later in the fourth, Slippery Rock’s Michael Kitko would cut the deficit to one. In the fifth, he would tie the game. With bases loaded, Kitko would walk allowing Sadler to score. Both teams would be tied up at two. This game would need extra innings as both teams wouldn’t find another run until the bottom of the ninth. Treston Nemeth’s walk–off single gave the Rock a second–straight win at home. The Golden Knights fell 3–2.

After heading back to Erie on Saturday, Gannon would find success at home. The Golden Knights kicked off the first game scoring the first two runs. In the third inning, Dom Costello hit a home run to make it 1–0 Gannon. Wes Parker’s double into center field allowed Kula to score in the fifth inning. In the top of the fifth, the Rock scored three runs to take the lead. The Golden Knights would strike back before the inning was over. Drew Stangelo’s hit down the middle allowed Smith to score. With a tie game entering the bottom of the seventh, Gannon would finally find themselves on the right side of a game winner. Ian Soto would be the hero hitting a walk off home run to give the Golden Knights a 6–3 win!

Gannon’s bats would be hot for the final game of the weekend. Alex Bemis’s ground–rule double gave the Golden Knights a 1–0 lead. A throwing error added another run which extended the lead to two after one inning. After Slippery Rock cut their deficit to one, Bemis hit a home run in the second to extend Gannon’s margin to three. A throwing error on Parker’s triple added three more runs in the fourth for the Golden Knights. Smith would then hit a home run to make it 8–1 Gannon at the end of the inning. The Rock would find two more runs in the fifth to make it 8–3.

Bemis’s left–center double answered right back to extend the Golden Knights’s run total to ten.

The Rock added one more run as Gannon walked away with a 10–4 victory at home.

The Golden Knights will begin a four–game series against Pitt–Johnstown this weekend. The teams will battle in Erie on Friday afternoon beginning at one. The series will switch over to Johnstown on Saturday for two games beginning at the same time.