SLIPPERY ROCK — Mark White was denting cars, denting the catcher's mitt and denting home plate with his spikes

It was a good afternoon for the Slippery Rock Highpitcher, who did just about everything but drag and line the field as the Rockets dispatched Titusville 10-2 Monday.

"Yeah, he was ready to go today," said Slippery Rock coach Paul Malley. "He pretty much did everything today."

Here's a list of his exploits:

• On the mound, White struck out 13 batters, walked one and scattered three hits. The only blemish was a two-run home run by Titusville's Derek Carr in the third inning.

• At the plate, White went 3-for-3, including a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning that hit a car in the parking lot.

• On the base paths, White scored four runs and stole three bases.

"Just working real hard," said White, explaining his torrid play of late. "I spent a lot of time in the weight room this offseason, and I've learned how to pitch instead of just throwing."

Titusville was no match for White. He mixed in a moving fastball with an overhand curve and a tricky slider to baffle the hitters.

"You'll see it bounce in the dirt," Malley said of White's slider. "When he can throw that, he's pretty tough to hit."

Slippery Rock led 5-0 after the first inning, sending nine batters to the plate in the frame, and held a 7-0 advantage after the second.

The Rockets' Brandon Ray also homered, launching a line drive that whistled over the left-field fence. The homer never got more than 12 feet off the ground.

Ray also drove in three runs.

The win keeps Slippery Rock in first place in the region. The Rockets beat Grove City last Monday, handing the Eagles their only region loss.

SlipperyRock, which had several region games postponed because of poor weather early in the season, have a stretch of four league games this week, starting with Titusville.

"Last year, we started out in a hole," Malley said. "This year, we have control over our destiny. I still would like a few more hits. We've been winning with pitching and defense."

Slippery Rock is happy to just be winning — and happy to have a shot at the postseason.

Last year, the Rockets finished strong with 11 wins, but had their season end abruptly when weather concerns ended the region season early.

That left Slippery Rock on the outside of the playoff party looking in.

This year, with seniors White and Ray leading the way, the Rockets are determined to get to the postseason and to make some noise once they get there.

"It's real motivating," White said. "Brandon and I as captains and seniors, we've been here since we were freshmen and we haven't made the playoffs.Right now, we're leading the conference and we want to win it. At the very least, we want to get to the playoffs."

Titusville 002 000 0—2 3 1Slippery Rock 520 101 x—10 7 1Tyler Guerrat, Zach Hamilton (3, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) and Hamilton, Ian Dowling; Mark White and BrandonRay.W — White (13 strikeouts, 1 walk). L — Guerrat (1 strikeout, 2 walks).

Titusville: Derek Carr HR, 2-RBI

Slippery Rock (5-3, 4-1): NickCress 2B, 1B; Mark White HR, 2-1B, 4-R, 3-SB, 3-RBI; BrandonRay 1B, HR, 3-RBI; Sean Lefebvre RBI; Travis McDougal RBI; Mac Bowser RBI; Joey Hemphill 1B.

Today: Hickory at Slippery Rock