SLIPPERY ROCK — Getting runners on base wasn't the problem for the Slippery Rock Sliders.

Bringing them home was.

The Sliders stranded 12 baserunners, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and eighth innings, in a 4-2 loss to the Florence (Ky.) Freedom in a Frontier League showdown Friday night at Critchfield Park.

Both teams won two games in the four-game series.

Slippery Rock entered the bottom of the fourth inning down 1-0, but had three runners on base when Freedom starting pitcher Jason Bowlin struck out Jon Hickey to end the threat.

By the bottom of the eighth, the Sliders (4-6) were trailing 3-0, but received RBI singles from Kory Lonergan and pinch-hitter Jason Curry to cut their deficit to 3-2.

Cy Donald, who was 2-for-3 up to that point in the game, came to the plate to face Freedom reliever Domingo Acosta with the bases loaded.

The pitcher won the battle, getting Donald to hit a towering pop-up, which was caught by third baseman Tim Grogan in foul territory.

"It was an outside fastball with a bit of a tail on it," Donald said of the pitch that ended the inning.

The Sliders ended the game with 10 hits and received four free passes from Freedom pitching, as well as two baserunners via errors.

The only inning the home team did not strand at least one runner was the ninth, which saw Acosta set Slippery Rock down in order.

"Baseball is a game of failures," said Donald, who is now batting .333 (10-for-30). "But it's just a matter of time before we start to feel comfortable at the plate with runners in scoring position."

"I've said all along that we've got a task before us with 16 rookies on this team," said Sliders' manager Greg Jelks. "We were able to get a lot of runners on base tonight, and I'm taking that as a positive."

Despite getting tagged with the loss, Slippery Rock starting pitcher Nick Tracy pitched well in his 5X\c innings.

Tracy tallied four strikeouts, one walk and one hit-batsman while giving up three runs on six hits.

He surrendered the game's first run in the top of the fourth inning when Florence second baseman Joe Holland hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Josh Lex.

The Freedom added two more to their total in the sixth on Ryan Basham's RBI groundout and Holland's run-scoring base hit, after which Jelks took Tracy out of the game in favor of Brian Baxter.

"I thought (Tracy) threw the ball well, and that's the second time this season he's done that," Jelks said. "Toward the end there, I think he got a little tired and he made some mistakes with his pitches."

After pitching an 1Z\c innings, Baxter was relieved by Pete Parise, who gave up an insurance run to Florence (4-6) in the top of the ninth inning.

Bowlin was credited with the win after striking out seven and walking three in 6Z\c innings.

Florence, Ky. 000 102 001—4 10 2Slippery Rock 000 000 020—2 10 1Jason Bowlin, Jon Troop (7, 0 K, 0 BB), Cody Castle (8, 1 K, 0 BB), Domingo Acosta (8, 1 K, 1 BB) and Josh Lex and Eddie Gonzalez; Nick Tracy, Brian Baxter (6, 1 K, 0 BB), Pete Parise (8, 2 K, 0 BB) and Travis Chapman and John MacLeod.

W: Bowlin (7 K, 3 BB).

L: Tracy (4 K, 1 BB).

SV: Acosta (1 K, 1 BB).

Florence (4-6): Greg Stone 2B, 1B; Reggie Watson 1B, 2B, RBI; Tim Grogan 1B, R; Beau Blacken 1B, R; Josh Lex 1B, R, SB; Ryan Basham 1B, RBI; Joe Holland 1B, 2 RBI; Dan Guttridge 1B, R

Slippery Rock (4-6): Jarred Klausman 2-1B; Cy Donald 2-1B; Steve Georgion 2-1B, R; Casey Bowling 1B; Bryan Vickers 1B, R; Kory Lonergan 1B, RBI; Jason Curry 1B, RBI

Attendance: 423

Saturday: Washington at Slippery Rock, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: Washington at Slippery Rock, 6:05 p.m.