SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Two things Nate McCollough had already seen enough of this season popped up again on Thursday.

Slippery Rock High's baseball coach watched his team commit four errors, helping Cochranton build a 6-4 lead.

After Ryan Lauster's triple off the right field fence scored Travis Lauster to cut the Rockets' deficit to one run with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, Cardinals' reliever Matt Silloway got out of the frame with no further damage, earning a three-inning save in a 6-5 win at Slippery Rock High School.

“That's now three games this season that we could have won late, or at least tied it up, with less than two outs,” said McCollough. “And we had the part of our order (3-6) that you want up in that situation.”

Following Ryan Lauster's three-base hit, Silloway got Cody Stephenson to ground out to third base, which held Lauster at the bag. Mitch Robinson walked, but Josh Bowser grounded back to the pitcher and Jackson Kerchis' fly ball to left was snagged by a diving Jake Yarnell as Cochranton escaped the inning with its one-run lead intact.

“It's not that we aren't putting the ball in play,” said McCollough, “but we just are not getting the timely hits.”

At least on this day, Yarnell's play had something to do with that. The outfielder sprinted toward the left field line and extended just in time to make the catch.

“Jake takes the weirdest routes out there, but he always seems to find the ball,” said Cochranton coach John Svirbly.

The Rockets (6-6) also got the tying run on base in the seventh inning when Levi Leonberg drew a one-out walk. He moved to second base on Luke Barnhart's sacrifice bunt before Travis Lauster's fly-out ended the contest.

Silloway walked five in his three innings of work, but allowed just the one run.

“He's just a sophomore,” Svirbly said of the right-hander. “He was very nervous when he took the mound earlier in the season, but he is starting to gain confidence.”

Taking the loss for Slippery Rock was Joe Barnhart, who pitched all seven innings. Five of the six runs he allowed were unearned.

That included two unearned tallies in the top of the first when a fielding error led to Joel Mowris scoring on a bases-loaded walk to Jesse Staudt. Cody Nageotte later drove in another run with a groundout.

Barnhart labored through that first frame, throwing 31 pitches and walking three batters.

They would be his only free passes of the day, however, as he ended the game with eight strikeouts and three walks.

“Our pitching has been tremendous,” said McCollough. “I would say that our guys are throwing, on average, 35 more pitches per game because of the errors.”

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the third, Slippery Rock managed a brief lead when Joe Barnhart drove in Robinson and Luke Barnhart with a single to tie the game. Later in the frame, Taylor Buhler's infield single plated Kerchis for a 4-3 edge.

It was short-lived, though, as Adam Nageotte smacked an RBI-single and Cody Nageotte drove in two with his base hit in the next half inning, putting the Cardinals (7-3) up 6-4.

Cochranton 201 300 0 — 6 7 0

Slippery Rock 103 001 0 — 5 6 4

W: Adam Nageotte 4 IP (1K, 3BB). L: Joe Barnhart 7 IP (8K, 3BB).

Cochranton (7-3): Joel Mowris 2-1B R, Adam Nageotte 1B R RBI, Ryan Northcott 2R, Jesse Staudt RBI, Caleb Peterson 1B R, Cody Nageotte 1B 3RBI, Josh Wagner 1B, Jake Yarnell 2B R

Slippery Rock (6-6): Travis Lauster R, Ryan Lauster 1B 3B R RBI, Cody Stephenson 2-1B, Mitch Robinson R, Josh Bowser RBI, Jackson Kerchis R, Joe Barnhart 1B 2RBI, Taylor Buhler 1B RBI, Luke Barnhart R

Monday: Oil City at Slippery Rock