Cody Stephenson was forced to work out of early trouble on Friday night at Pullman Park.

As the game wore on, he was giving Conneaut hitters more trouble than they could handle.

The senior right-hander pitched all seven innings, struck out 10 and walked two in Slippery Rock’s 6-2 victory over Conneaut in a District 10 Region 5-AAA baseball clash.

Stephenson allowed just five hits and none after a leadoff single in the fourth inning.

“He was getting ahead in the count,” said Slippery Rock coach Nathan McCollough. “He could throw the curveball early in the count, which confused them and got them off balance a little. He was hitting his spots well. … He threw a gem.”

With the game tied 2-2 in the fourth, freshman Ryan Lauster and senior Mitch Robinson ripped back-to-back doubles to give the Rockets (3-2, 1-0) the go-ahead run.

Slippery Rock added insurance in the fifth when freshman Jackson Kerchis belted a two-RBI double. He later scored to give the Rockets a 6-2 cushion.

“We had a couple freshmen step up, a couple seniors step up,” said McCollough. “When you get seniors to step up, freshman see that and they follow.”

Conneaut threatened to take a first inning lead after a pair of fielding miscues put runners on first and second with no outs, but Stephenson fanned the 3-4-5 batters to escape unscathed.

The Rockets claimed a 2-0 lead in the first when Travis Lauster drew a leadoff walk and Robinson singled him home. Robinson came around to score two batters later on a two-out single from Josh Bowser.

Conneaut starting pitcher Jordan King was forced to leave with an injury following Bowser’s at-bat. Brandon Sherman toed the mound and pitched three innings of shutout ball until the Rockets solved him in the fourth.

“It put us in a tough spot, but the guys that came in did a nice job handling the adversity and kept us in the game,” said Conneaut coach Todd Greenawalt. “Hopefully, Jordan King is all right and can throw for us soon.”

The Rockets’ lead didn’t last long. Conneaut answered with three doubles in the second frame to even the game at 2-2.

Stephenson faced another jam in the third inning after an error, walk and single loaded the bases with one out, but he struck out the following batter and induced a grounder to third to prevent any damage.

“We had some opportunities early. We couldn’t get the big hit,” said Greenawalt. “Striking out with guys on base doesn’t win you games.

Stephenson’s ability to pound the strike zone gave Conneaut fits.

“He was throwing strikes and mixing pitches. He was always ahead in the count, so he kept us guessing. We really couldn’t get comfortable in our at-bats,” Greenawalt explained. “When it’s the opposite and you’re ahead in the count as a hitter all the time, you can sit on pitches. When you always have two strikes and just trying to put it play, it’s tough.”

It was the first region game of the season for Slippery Rock and McCollough was pleased his team could collect an important victory early in the season.

“Our first region game is huge,” said McCollough. “It sets the table for the rest of the league to see where you’re at.

“We have five freshmen on our team, so we’re young,” he added. “To get that win off the bat, it’s going to help them build and build and build. By the end, I hope it’s something special.”

Neither team knew the game would be played at Pullman until Friday afternoon. Slippery Rock’s field was deemed unplayable and left the Rockets scrambling for a venue.

“I knew our field wasn’t going to be ready as soon as we got the rain. I called our AD and they said they had a slot here,” said McCollough. “He made it happen quickly and they agreed, which was great.”

“I hope they realize what kind of field this is and the history that comes with it,” McCollough added. “I hope it’s something they remember.”

Conneaut 020 000 0 — 2 5 3

Slippery Rock 200 130 x — 6 7 3

W: Cody Stephenson 7 IP (10K, 2BB). L: Brandon Sherman 3 2-3 IP (5K, 5BB).

Conneaut (2-3): Bryce Groh 2B, 1B, R; Chase Gallo 2B, R, RBI; Jeremy Santarelli 2B, 1B, RBI

Slippery Rock (3-2): Travis Lauster 1B, R; Ryan Lauster 2B, R; Mitch Robinson 2B, 1B, R, 2-RBI; Josh Bowser 1B, R, RBI; Joe Barnhart 1B; Tim Butler R; Jackson Kerchis 2B, R, RBI

Saturday: Slippery Rock at Union City