SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University’s baseball team was in a giving mood Saturday — which did nothing for the mood of coach Jeff Messer.

The Rock allowed three unearned runs in the first game, 13 walks and two hit batsmen in the nightcap of a 4-1, 11-8 doubleheader loss to Seton Hill at Critchfield Park.

“I can’t explain it,” Messer said of the mistakes. “You can overcome mistakes like that against a lesser team, maybe.

“You’re not going to do it against a team like Seton Hill.”

Things got better Sunday as SRU ended Seton Hill’s 17-game winning streak with a 9-3 victory in the first game of their doubleheader in Greensburg. The Griffins took the second game, 4-3.

The Rock’s win was sparked by a combined eight runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Will Kengor, Jake Nogalo, Kevin Jovanovich and Graeme Zaparzynski each tallied a pair of hits in support of winning pitcher Kyle Schneider, who allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

SRU (21-13, 10-8) led the second game 3-2, but reliever John Kovalik surrendered a pair of earned runs in the Griffins’ sixth and shouldered the loss.

Adam Urbania doubled, scored a run and drove in one for The Rock.

The PSAC West-leading Griffins (29-10, 16-2) pushed their winning streak to 17 games with Saturday’s sweep.

SRU gave Seton Hill two unearned runs in the first inning of Saturday’s opener. Anthony Fanelli and Chris Miller were hit by pitches. But with two outs, Nick Sell lofted a high fly ball to shallow right field.

Right fielder Brandon Myers and second basenan Jordan Faretta got tangled up with each other and the ball dropped for a three-base error, allowing two runs to score.

“That was unbelievable,” Messer said. “Either of those guys could have caught that ball. We handed them two runs there.”

Another unearned run crossed the plate in the fourth as The Rock botched fielding a sacrifice bunt, enabling Jesse Cooper to produce a sacrifice fly later in the inning.

While SRU junior Garret Peterson threw 106 pitches in five innings in getting tagged with the loss, Griffins sophomore right-hander Mike Bittel took a two-hit shutout into the seventh. He had retired 10 straight batters before Kyle Vozar delivered a two-out RBI single to spoil the shutout.

Cooper came on to get the final out and record the save. Cooper saved the second game as well, has 14 saves on the season and has yet to allow an earned run thuis spring.

SRU entered Saturday’s twinbill leading the PSAC with a .332 team batting average. The Rock has 11 players (minimum 15 at bats) hitting over ,.300.

“Pitching has been the key to this winning streak,” Seton Hill coach Marc Marizzaldi said. “We’ve been getting great efforts on the mound from everybody.”

Butler graduate and junior right fielder Cody Herald has been pretty consistent in his own right.

Herald doubled in the first game. He went 3-for-3 in the nightcap with three singles, two walks, two RBI, two runs scored and four stolen bases while raising his batting average to .365.

“We’re winning because everyone on this team is unselfish,” Herald said. “No one cares about himself. Everyone cares about the end result.”

Seton Hill scored all 11 of its runs in the first four innings of the second game. A six-run second frame included SRU pitching walking home three runs, forcing in another with a hit batsman and allowing another to cross the plate on a wild pitch.

The Rock collected 16 hits in the loss. PSAC batting leader Kengor, who started the day hitting .430, had a triple, two singles and scored three runs. Alex Bell had a double and three singles. Urbania had three RBI.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a team get 16 hits in a game and lose,” Messer said. “But you can’t hand a team 15 base runners and expect to win.”

Freshman Preston Falascino started the game for The Rock and didn’t make it through the second inning. He threw 51 pitches and walked five.

Seton Hill started ace left-hander and major league draft prospect Alex Haines. He didn’t get through the third inning, allowing eight hits and seven runs.

Haines is a 6-foot-4 left-hander.

“Alex hasn’t been as sharp as last year,” Marizzaldi said, the hurler’s ERA being well over 4.00. “When you have to pull a pitcher early like that, it messes up your mound plans for the whole weekend.

“Jordan Fuller bailed us out that way.”

Fuller, a sophomore, worked 3.1 scoreless innings in replacing Haines.

“We ripped him,” Messer said of Haines. “Then we can’t throw a strike. Go figure. That’s baseball.”