PAINESVILLE, OHIO – Freshman ace Adam Beach (Vermillion, Ohio/Vermillion) pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings, but host Slippery Rock University rallied for four runs with two outs in the eighth for a 4-3 victory on Sunday (April 25) at Jack Critchfield Park.

With the Storm (18-26) ahead 3-1, Billy Messer blasted a three-run home run to give the Rock (25-21) a two games-to-one series victory and spoiled what had been an outstanding outing by Beach.

Beach (4-2) held the Rock scoreless on six hits through the first seven innings, and looked to be on the verge of getting through the eighth unscathed. But with one on and two outs, Mitchell Monas and Adam Jury had back-to-back singles to score a run and Messer followed with a shot over the right-field fence to erase the Storm's lead.

Lake Erie had taken a 2-0 lead in the third inning on RBI-singles by sophomore Mike Morgan (Indian Lake, Ohio/Russells Point) and junior Brandon James (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor).  James' hit extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Sophomore Matt Lott (Newark, Ohio/Newark Catholic) singled in a run in the top of the eighth to make it a 3-0 game.

Sophomore Ryan Rua (Amherst, Ohio/Amherst) had two hits for the Storm.  Jury and Messer were two of four Rock hitters to have two hits.

Beach, who allowed just six hits in the first seven innings, gave up four runs on 11 hits. He walked two and struck out five.  Colin McCoy (2-1) , pitching for a third consecutive game against the Storm, earned the win with five innings of one-run relief work.

The Storm returns home Tuesday, April 27, to host Seton Hill University at Classic Park.

-LEC-