SLIPPERY ROCK — After a 45-minute rain delay, thunder rolled throughout the national anthem Friday before a Prospect League doubleheader between the Slippery Rock Sliders and Butler BlueSox at Jack Critchfield Park.

The Slippery Rock bats generated a thunderous seven-run attack over the first two innings on the way to an 8-5 Game 1 win.

Butler experienced an old proverb — when it rains, it pours.

Clinging to a one-run edge in the top of the seventh of Game 2 with the bases full of BlueSox, the Sliders turned a double play to escape with a 6-5 victory and sweep the twinbill.

Butler (15-13) entered the final frame of the evening down by three, but a one-out single from Tyler Detmer was followed by back-to-back walks to load the bases. Russell Clark struck a potential double-play ball to third, but Grant Zawadzki couldn’t handle it and the bases remained juiced as Detmer scored to make it 6-4.

Two pitches later, Alex Jurich scurried home on a wild pitch and Slippery Rock manager Brad Neffendorf opted to intentionally walk Jason Revesz in his first plate appearance of the season.

“We wanted to set up the double-play situation,” said Neffendorf, “and it paid off for us.”

It sure did.

Keegan Ghidotti induced a grounder to second baseman Cooper Mickelson off the bat of Brett Sullivan. Mickelson flipped it to second where shortstop Tom Crimi was covering and Crimi relayed it to first baseman Matt Calhoun to secure the win.

Neffendorf wasn’t surprised to see his Sliders (14-14) pick up their fifth straight win despite a strenuous seventh inning.

“Our guys over the last four or six games have faced a little bit of adversity,” he explained. “The best part about it is that they’ve come back from it. They’ve come back, swung the sticks, thrown the baseball where they’ve needed to and they’ve done their job.”

The bitter defeat left Butler manager Anthony Rebyanski wondering what might have been.

Sullivan — the Game 1 starting pitcher — was hitting for outfielder Kris Cayton after he was ejected for arguing a called third strike in the fourth inning.

Alex Miklos, Butler’s starting left fielder, was also tossed for protesting after being picked off at first base in the third. He was replaced by Jordan Schwartz — also a pitcher by trade — who fanned in the sixth with the tying run at second.

“What hurts the most is the fact that we’re short on the bench right now as it is,” said Rebyanski. “You sit there in that situation and you think what you would have. Those things are what’s discouraging.”

Cayton and Miklos will serve automatic one-game suspensions due to the ejections. Rebyanski had a long discussion with the umpire after Miklos was tossed and said it was a “quick hook” in his opinion, but felt Cayton’s early exclusion was justified.

“I know guys get caught up in the moment,” said Rebyanski, “but at the same time we can’t have those things happen because it ends up hurting us down the road.”

Rebyanski was quick to credit the versatility of Sullivan and Schwartz — who both singled in their first at-bats of the game — but was frustrated players were forced outside their typical roles in key moments.

“You never know what’s going to happen. (Cayton or Miklos) easily could have hit into a double play, as well,” the Butler manager admitted. “Nothing against Schwartz and Sullivan because they’ve been hitting well for me.”

Butler and Slippery Rock began the doubleheader by exchanging two-run innings in the first. The BlueSox tallied two more runs in the second, but the Sliders sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom half for a five-run outburst to seize a 7-4 advantage.

Calhoun highlighted the rally with a two-RBI triple off the wall in right, chasing Sullivan from the contest after allowing seven runs — six earned — in 1 1-3 innings.

Anthony Battaglia took over for Dave Yakopec in the third with the bases juiced and no outs and only allowed a sacrifice fly. He twirled four shutout innings to keep Butler within striking distance.

“That’s something that he really needed,” said Rebyanski. “He’s been up and down a little bit this year. For him to come out there and throw strikes, that’s a very, very positive outcome for him.”

Slippery Rock starter Matt Riggs and relievers Daniel Garza and Kade Garlington slowed Butler’s offense, before sidearm closer Kevin Becker-Menditto shut the door for his league-leading eighth save.

Zach Place earned the Game 2 win and struck out six over 5 1-3 innings before leaving with forearm tightness. Butler’s GJ Senchak also went 5 1-3 innings, but took the loss thanks to a four-run fourth.

Calhoun and Storm Wilson sparked the Slippery Rock offense throughout the night. Calhoun finished a combined 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored, while Wilson was 5-for-7, scored three times and drove in two runs.

The losses sent Butler one game back of the Chillicothe Paints and West Virginia Miners, who are tied atop the East Division. Slippery Rock’s recent surge has positioned the Sliders two games behind first place.

Neffendorf pointed to pitching for the turnaround.

“The most important thing is that our pitchers have come out and thrown strikes,” he said. “They’ve done a great job of setting the tone early.

“It’s a lot of fun because these guys work hard, they’re great kids, they do the right thing,” added Neffendorf. “They get it done on the field and off the field and they get rewarded for it.”

Game 1

Butler 220 001 0 — 5 12 1

Slippery Rock 251 000 x — 8 12 3

W: Daniel Garza 2IP (0K, 2BB). L: Brett Sullivan 1 1-3 IP (1K, 0BB). SV: Kevin Becker-Menditto 1 IP (1K, 0BB)

Butler (15-12): Alex Miklos 2-1B, 2-R, RBI; Ryan Fitzgerald 2-1B, RBI; Matt Peters 2B, 1B, BB, 2-R; Tyler Detmer 1B, BB, RBI; Alex Jurich 1B, BB; Josh Forbes 1B, BB, 2-RBI; Russell Clark 1B, R; Kris Cayton 2-BB; Jordan Schwartz 2-1B

Slippery Rock (13-14): Storm Wilson 2-1B, 2-R, RBI; Cooper Mickelson 1B, HBP, R; Matt Calhoun 3B, 1B, 2-R, 4-RBI; Joel Klock 2-1B, RBI; Connor McCallum 2-1B, RBI; Mike Andries HBP; Aaron Lindgren 2-1B, R; Tom Crimi 1B, R; Gentry Kinsella BB, R

Game 2

Butler 010 002 2 — 5 9 4

Slippery Rock 004 002 x — 6 6 3

W: Zach Place 5 1-3 IP (6K, 3BB). L: GJ Senchak 5 1-3 IP (4K, 3BB). SV: Keegan Ghidotti 2-3 IP (0K, 1BB)

Butler (15-13): Alex Miklos 1B; Jordan Schwartz 1B; Ryan Fitzgerald BB; Matt Peters 1B; Tyler Detmer 1B, R; Alex Jurich 1B, HBP, BB, 3-R; Taylor Schmidt 2-BB, R; Russell Clark 2-1B, RBI; Josh Forbes 1B, BB, RBI; Jason Revesz BB; Brett Sullivan 1B

Slippery Rock (14-14): Storm Wilson 3-1B, 2-R, RBI; Cooper Mickelson BB, R; Ryne Clark BB, R; Keegan Ghidotti 1B, BB, 2-RBI; Dan Hurlimann HBP; Matt Calhoun 1B, HBP, RBI; Dan Palazzo 2B, R

Saturday: Richmond at Butler, 6:35 p.m.; Slippery Rock at Chillicothe, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: Richmond at Butler, 6:35 p.m.; Slippery Rock at Chillicothe, 6:05 p.m.