SLIPPERY ROCK — The first half of the season is done. Time to look to the second half.

That’s the mantra the Slippery Rock Sliders hope to employ. The Sliders finished the first half with a 10-20 mark in the Prospect League Eastern Division, but used a 14-hit attack to open the second half with a 6-2 victory over the Lorain County Ironmen Tuesday night at Jack Critchfield Park.

The Ironmen (1-1) got even Wednesday night at Critchfield, banging out 15 hits in a 9-6 victory. Sliders starter Ben Rawding was touched up for 11 hits and seven runs in five innings of work.

Every Slippery Rock (1-1) starter recorded at least one hit in Tuesday’s win, which was topped of by Fireworks Night.

“We had a couple of opportunities with the bases loaded with the meat of our order coming up,” Sliders manager Shawn Pynn said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do it, but we tacked on one run at a time. That makes up for it.”

The Sliders did strand 14 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings and 10 in a four-inning stretch, but still persevered.

The Sliders spotted the Ironmen a two-run lead in the second inning when the squad opened the frame with three consecutive singles before a fielder’s choice RBI off the bat of Kairee Tekra and a run-scoring single by Jake Neuschaefer got things started.

The Sliders quickly answered with two runs of their own when Derek Peake smacked a two-run double, advancing to third base when the throw to home was high.

That allowed Sliders starter Max Deering to settle down. He limited the Ironmen to no runs and four hits over the next five innings, which allowed Slippery Rock to build a three-run lead.

“Max was the first pitcher this season to go seven innings,” Pynn said. “We only had two pitch six-plus innings. He saved our bullpen some innings. He wanted to go out for the eighth inning.

“The last time he pitched he gave up four runs in one inning, then settled down and pitched five scoreless innings. It’s just a matter of him staying loose. I thought he did a great job,” Pynn added.

I kind of had to grind through the first couple of innings,” Deering said. “I got my pitches down in the zone, then got them where they needed to be.

“Getting the runs back definitely gets the momentum back on your side ... I started throwing pitches and got my defense to work behind me,” Deering added.

RBI singles by Pat Gelwicks in the third inning and Alex Lang in the fourth gave the Sliders a 4-2 advantage. The Sliders tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and eighth inning — a fielder’s choice groundout by Zach Looney and a sacrifice fly by Jeff Revesz in the eighth inning — would close out the scoring.

The Ironmen’s best chance to score came in the eighth inning when a single by Nate Antone and an error placed runners at first and second with one out, but reliever Jim Miller induced John Navarro and Tekra to pop out and end the threat.

“It’s great to come in with a clean slate and win this first game,” Deering said. “Coach Pynn wanted to use the first half to see who the best nine guys are out there.”

Peake and Looney homered for the Sliders in Wednesday’s loss. Looney, Lang and Trent Wooldridge all had two hits.

Lorain 020 000 000 — 2 11 2

Slippery Rock 021 100 11 — 6 14 1

W: Max Deering 7 IP (4K, 1BB). L: Adam Beach 6 IP (6K, 3BB).

Lorain (0-1): Cody Koch 1B; Blake Bellman 1B; Michael Burke 2-1B; Nate Antone 2-1B; Sam Alvis 1B; Scott White 1B; John Navarro 2-1B; Kairee Tekra RBI; Jake Neuschaefer 1B, RBI

Slippery Rock (1-0): Zach Looney 1B, RBI; Trent Wooldridge 1B; Ryan Abernathy 1B; Pat Gelwicks 2-1B, RBI; Radley Haddad 2-1B; Jeff Revesz 1B, RBI; Derek Peake 2-1B, 2B, 2 RBI; Drew Bryan 1B; Alex Lang 2-1B, RBI