SLIPPERY ROCK — One bad pitch.

The 21 rookies on the Slippery Rock Sliders' roster found out Tuesday afternoon what it can do to a team in a 3-2 loss to Chillicothe (Ohio) at Jack Critchfield Park.

Slippery Rock relief pitcher Brian Baxter left a fastball up in the zone to the Paints' Paul Rutgers, who hit a soaring home run over the left-field fence. The home run turned a one-run lead into a one-run deficit and a home loss.

Such is life in baseball and in the Frontier League.

"It's very heartbreaking, especially after (Nick) Tracy threw his best game of the year," said Slippery Rock manager Greg Jelks.

Tracy, who was coming off a tough start in his last outing, cruised through seven innings against the Paints.

The right-hander gave up three hits, walked two and struck out three in his 101-pitch outing.

He also got nine groundball outs.

"That's when I know I'm pitching well," Tracy said. "I get a lot of outs in the ground. After the last start, I decided I was just going to attack the hitters with my fastball, and it was working today."

Jelks toyed with the idea of leaving Tracy in the game for the eighth inning, but elected to go to Baxter.

"He was up to 101 pitches," Jelks said. "Leaving him in would have extended him. He hadn't been that far before. Baxter has been a guy who has come in and shut the door."

Baxter came into the game with a 2.30 ERA and opponents were hitting a mere .196 against him. He picked up his first loss of the season to fall to 3-1.

Tracy got yet another no-decision. He's 0-1 in four starts this season.

Slippery Rock (7-12) grabbed a 2-0 lead after four innings.

No. 9 hitter Kory Longeran doubled and scored on an RBI single by Casey Bowling in the bottom of the third inning. The Sliders scored again in the fourth on an RBI single by Bernie Dennis that plated Jason Curry.

But Slippery Rock's stagnant offense couldn't spark a rally. The Sliders got two men on in the bottom of the ninth, but former Slippery Rock University standout Phil Butch struck out to end the game.

Butch went 0-for-5 and watched his average plummet to .185. The Sliders other shortstop, Phil Hickey, is batting .049.

Despite his rough day at the plate, Jelks is determined to stick with Butch.

"I'll pull him aside and tell him he's a good ballplayer," Jelks said. "He can play this game. I wouldn't have brought him here if he couldn't."

Slippery Rock is now hitting .211 as a team.

"It is a little frustrating, especially when Nick pitches as well as he did today," Curry said. "I feel it coming around. We're really close. We're right on the edge. You just have to remember this is a game of failure and take it day by day, pitch by pitch."

Jelks also can see his team getting ready to bust out. Nothing has been wrong with the pitching — the Sliders entered the game with a 4.15 team ERA. The hitting, though, has been slow to come around.

That may be a matter of finding a bat or two, something Jelks is determined to add.

"We have to find a few more pieces to the puzzle," Jelks said. "I will find them. I always have and I always will."

Slippery Rock heads on its farthest road trip of the season as it makes the 550-mile trek to Evansville, Ind., to open a three-game series against the Otters at 7:05 p.m. today.

"We're 7-12 with an expansion ballclub in the toughest division in the league," Jelks said. "I'm pretty happy where we are at right now."

Chillicothe 000 001 020—3 6 1Slippery Rock 001 100 000—2 7 0Perry Cunningham, Ryan Flanigan (8), Daryl Arreola (9) and Alex Derhak; Nick Tracy, Brian Baxter (8), Jon Tapper and Bernie Dennis.

W: Flanigan (1 K, 0 BB).

L: Baxter (0 K, 1 BB).

Chillicothe (9-11): Gavin Ng 1B, Paul Rutgers HR 2-RBI, Travis Garcia 3B, Jon Poterson 1B, Derhak 1B, Evan Sobel 1B

Slippery Rock (7-12): Casey Bowling 2-1B RBI, Nate Yoho 1B, JasonCurry 1B, Jarrod Klausman 1B, Dennis 1B RBI, Kory Longeran 2B

Today: Slippery Rock at Evansville, Ind., 7:05 p.m.