SLIPPERY ROCK — Cory Baker nearly went from no-hitter to no victory Sunday afternoon at Critchfield Park.

A ninth-inning Butler rally fell short, however, as the Slippery Rock Sliders held on for a 6-4 Prospect League baseball victory over the BlueSox.

Baker, a 6-foot-5 right-hander from Lincoln Trail Community College in Illinois, took a no-hitter and a 6-0 lead into the ninth inning. Jon Craycraft, the BlueSox' No. 8 hitter, belted a first-pitch fastball into left field for a single to begin the final frame, however.

Max Vogel followed with a single to right and Baker's day was done. He threw 105 pitches, 69 for strikes. Baker struck out eight.

"It's tough to finish off a game like this, especially against top collegiate hitters," Sliders coach John Rodriguez said. "But Cory had outstanding stuff today.

"We like to get six solid innings out of him every time he pitches. Today he got into a rhythm and we were gonna give him a shot at (the no-hitter)."

Baker said he hasn't pitched a no-hitter since he was a freshman playing varsity for his Michigan high school. Slippery Rock University's Mike Sikorski owns the only no-hitter ever pitched at Critchfield Park. He did it against Kutztown in the 2003 NCAA Division II regional.

"You get late into a game and the lineup's already seen you three times," Baker said. "They get a good feel for your stuff and it's tougher to get them out.

"He (Craycraft) was expecting fastball. He was waiting for it and drilled it."

After Vogel's single, Lucas Anderson replaced Baker on the mound. Seneca Valley graduate Zach Duggan greeted him with a single to load the bases.

Craycraft scored on a wild pitch and Seneca Valley grad Kevan Smith drilled a two-run double over the center fielder's head with one out. John Sulzicki lined out to shortstop before Tyler Sciacca's single to left plated Smith.

Logan Uxa brought the tying run to the plate, but lined out to center fielder Eric Miranda to end the game.

"There's a natural letdown by a team when you lose a no-hitter in the last inning," Rodriguez said. "And those two hits to start off really picked up Butler. It turned into a bit of a scramble."

Rodriguez was in charge of the Sliders on Sunday as manager Chalot had to serve a one-game suspension as a result.

"It's hard to pull out a game when you're no-hit for eight innings, but we made a charge at them," BlueSox manager Jason Wuerfel said. "Some of those swings we were putting on the ball ... anyone walking into this place for the ninth inning would never believe we were being no-hit.

"He (Baker) mixed speeds well and worked both corners of the plate. He had our hitters overmatched today."

The BlueSox suffered their third straight loss and are 0-2 in the second half of the season.

The Sliders (2-1) scored two unearned runs in the third inning before Jeremy Banks' two-run double in the sixth doubled their lead.

Consecutive singles by Miranda, Derek Carr and Sam Sivilotti accounted for two more runs in the seventh. Slippery Rock stole three bases in that inning and took advantage of a BlueSox error.

"We were 9-18 in the first half of the season," Rodriguez said. "Splitting the season into halves is like giving us a free nine-game winning streak.

"Hopefully, we'll take advantage of that."

Butler 000 000 004 — 4 5 3Slippery Rock 002 002 20x — 6 7 9W: Cory Baker 8 IP (8K, 2BB). L: Tim Giel 5X\c IP (4K, 2BB).

Butler (13-16, 0-2): Zach Duggan 1B, Kevan Smith 2B 2-RBI, Tyler Sciacca 1B RBI, Jon Craycraft 1B, Max Vogel 1B

Slippery Rock (11-19, 2-1): Eric Miranda 1B 2-R, Derek Carr 1B 2-R, Sam Sivilotti 1B RBI, Jeremy Banks 2B 2-RBI, A.J. Miller 1B, Cameron Fagg 2B 1B

Monday: Butler at West Virginia, Richmond at Slippery Rock