SLIPPERY ROCK — Sharon pitcher Cory Johnson cuts quite an imposing figure on the mound.

The same can be said of his arm.

Against Slippery Rock on Friday, Johnson tossed a one-hitter and notched 12 strikeouts and just one walk to lead the Tigers to a 4-1 victory.

"He's been our horse the last three years," said Tigers coach Bill Dorfi. "He's been carrying us on his back.

"Besides throwing a wicked fastball, he has a nice combination of pitches and he's smart as well. He'll shake off the pitch and change it, then we'll talk about it after.

"He's always had a great answer why,"Dorfi added.

Johnson definitely had the answers against the Rockets, striking out at least one batter in each inning, including the side in the first inning and the last two batters of the game.

"Basically, he rears back and throws the ball," said Slippery Rock coach Paul Malley. "When a team is not hitting, you don't have to throw anything else."

The Tigers (1-0) scored single runs in the first two innings, but, all things considered, the damage could have been a lot worse.

Jeff Gavin opened the game with a triple off Rockets pitcher Mark White and scored one out later on an A.J. Johnson single. Cory Johnson followed with a single, but White fanned the next two batters to escape the jam.

With two on and two outs in the second, Rockets right fielder Adam Brydon misplayed a fly ball off the bat of Mike Tomko, which allowed a run to score.

When A.J. Johnson walked, the bases were loaded, but Rockets left fielder Nick Cress made a running grab of a Cory Johnson's liner to close out the inning.

"We had the bases loaded after just two runs and didn't score," said Dorfi. "I told the kids about being complacent. You can't let a team get back in it."

The Rockets (1-1) did get a runner to second base with one out in the second inning, but couldn't get him across.

The Rockets' only other chance came in the fifth inning, when Ryan Ferguson opened with a triple off the right field wall, then Travis McDougall drove him home with a sacrifice fly.

No other Rockets batter reached base the rest of the game.

The Tigers tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning — a run-scoring triple by Tomko and a fielder's choice on a standard double play attempt to try to close out the inning.

Lost in the shuffle of the game was the performance of White, who struck out eight and walked four after a shaky start.

"I can't fault our pitching," said Malley. "We limited them to two runs until that last inning. Defensively, we've been okay. We just need hits and not waste pitching performance like this."

Sharon 110 000 2—4 7 0Slippery Rock 000 010 0—1 1 1WP: Cory Johnson (7 IP) 12 strikeouts, 1 walk.

LP: Mark White (6+ IP) 8 strikeouts, 4 walks

Sharon (1-0): Jeff Gavin 3B, 1B; Mike Tomko 3B, RBI; A.J. Johnson 1B, Cory Johnson 1B; Zack Kepple 1B; Sam Schweiss 2B

Slippery Rock (1-1): Ryan Ferguson 3B; Travis McDougall RBI

Monday: Erie Cathedral Prep at Slippery Rock