SLIPPERY ROCK — It's never too early in a season to take advantage of a great opportunity.

The Slippery Rock Sliders kicked off 2010 by banging out a total of 18 hits and scoring eight runs after two outs in a 13-6, eight-inning victory over the West Virginia Miners in a Prospect League opener Thursday at Jack Critchfield Park.

"I don't think anyone anticipated getting 18 hits in the first game of the year," said Sliders coach Andy Chalot. "We had a couple of chances early where we had second and third and one out, then struck out.

"But then the next guy stepped up. Two-out RBI will win you a lot of games," Chalot added.

The Sliders scored five runs in the first two innings, all with two outs.

Matt Baer had a two-run single in the first inning that gave Slippery Rock a 2-0 lead, but the Miners tied the game in the top of the second when Jeremy Robinson ripped an RBI double and another run scored when Sliders starter Rick Raraigh uncorked a wild pitch.

Slippery Rock retook the lead in the second when, with runners at second and third, Hunter Ackerman struck out Carr before Sean Mahley lined a two-run single.

He stole second, then scored on an RBI single to make it 5-2.

After the second inning, the teams sat through a 1-hour, 31-minute rain delay, which proved to be the end of Raraigh's and Ackerman's night.

The Miners got one run back in the top of the third inning off Kevin Kumazec on a two-out RBI single, but Slippery Rock countered when Derek Carr hit a sacrifice fly RBI in the fourth inning for a 6-3 advantage.

The Miners stayed close, scoring a run in the fifth inning on a one-out RBI single by Victor Ramos after a leadoff double by Andrew Weaver, but SR answered with another run in the sixth inning on a two-out RBI single by Mahley, who was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

West Virginia made one final push in the seventh inning to pull to 7-6, but could get no closer.

"It was our first game out and the first time these guys played with wooden bats," said Miners coach Tim Epling. "These guys are new. It will be the same story the first couple of games. I never thought we'd get 10 hits the first game out.

"We have to put the puzzle pieces together," he added. "This one doesn't fit here so we have to move it around. A lot of these things, you have to have two or three players comfortable with each other."

Slippery Rock added six more runs over the next two innings, including four in the seventh inning, to break any momentum the Miners might have accumulated.

In all, every hitter in the Sliders' lineup had at least one hit and seven of the 10 had at least one RBI.

"We have some speed in the lineup and we have some guys in the middle of the lineup who can drive the ball," said Chalot.

Mahley had three singles and three RBI, Carr had two singles and two RBI, and Fenster had two singles, a double and an RBI to lead a hit parade that had six players with multiple hits.

Notes: Slippery Rock University's George Hebert pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief for the Miners after the rain delay with five strikeouts. ... Attendance was 416 ... The umpires called the game before the ninth inning because of lightning.

West Virginia 021 010 20x — 6 10 4Slippery Rock 230 101 42x — 13 18 1W: Kevin Kumazec 4IP (8K, 0BB).

L: Hunter Ackerman 2IP (2K, 1BB).

West Virginia (0-1): Chris Holloway 1B; Victor Ramos 2-1B, 2 RBI; Travis Isaak 1B; Zach Tanner 2-1B, RBI; Blake Roberts 1B; Jeremy Robinson 2B, RBI; Mike Marietta 1B; Andrew Weaver 2B

Slippery Rock (1-0): Derek Carr 2-1B, 2 RBI; Sean Mahley 3-1B, 3 RBI; Matt Fenster 2-1B, 2B, RBI; Jeremy Banks 2-1B; Matt Baer 1B, 2 RBI; Brady Stewart 1B; Sam Trecaso 1B, RBI; Phil Bondi 2-1B, RBI; Brian Davila 2-1B; A.J. Miller 2B, RBI

Saturday and Sunday: Slippery Rock at West Virginia