May 22, 2008 | Box Score

Two-Out Runs Key Cleveland State Victory Over YSU, 10-4

    Niles, Ohio -- Cleveland State scored eight runs with two outs, including five in the top of the ninth, to defeat Youngstown State 10-4 in the Horizon League Baseball Championship on Thursday.
    The loss eliminates Youngstown State from the tournament and ends its season with a record of 23-33. Cleveland State moves on to play another elimination game on Friday at 11 a.m.
    The Penguins trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh when two home runs gave them some momentum. Mike Turjanica hit a two-out, solo blast to right in the bottom of the seventh, and Erich Diedrich hit a two-run homer with nobody out in the eighth to cut the margin to one. Eric Marzec then hit a two-out single to put the tying run on, but Cleveland State reliever Vasili Pahoulis came on to strike out pinch-hitter C.J. Morris to end the inning.
    Ryan Sellman retired the first two Vikings in the top of the ninth, but a single by Alex Kerins started a string of six straight batters to reach base. The Vikings had five of their 11 hits with two outs in the ninth, including four straight RBI hits from the bottom four in the batting order.
    Diedrich's home run was the 27th of his prolific career, which broke Youngstown State's previous career record of 26 held by Adam Cox. The record blast came on the slugger's final swing in a Penguins uniform.
    Diedrich finished 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBIs while John Koehnlein and Josh Page had two hits for YSU.
    Tom Carter had three hits and two RBIs to lead Cleveland State. Each of the No. 6 through No. 9 batters had two RBIs.
    Youngstown State took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an unearned run. Koehnlein led off the inning with a double on the 11th pitch of his at bat, and he went to third on a passed ball. Diedrich then brought him in three batters later on a fielder's choice to short.
    The lead did not last long as Cleveland State answered with three runs on just one hit in the top of the fourth. After a foul ball popped out of catcher Anthony Porter's mitt, YSU starter Chuck Schiffhauer went on to walk four of the next five batters to even the score. Josh Geric drove in a run on a ground out, and Carter brought in another on an infield single, CSU's lone hit of the inning.
    The Vikings tacked on another run in the sixth without recording a hit. John Brown was hit on a full count pitch, and he went to second on a wild pitch. Carter flew out to deep right that allowed Brown to advance, and Brown scored on another wild pitch.
    Another hit batsman with two outs in the seventh led to another run for CSU. Adam Heideman was hit on a full count offering, and he took second on a delayed steal. John Foco then delivered an RBI single through the left side to put Cleveland State up 5-1.
    Turjanica's homer was his first of the season and fourth career round-tripper in the postseason.
    Schiffhauer was tagged with the loss allowing three runs, all of which were unearned, on five hits and five walks in five innings.
    Starter Brian Long improved to 4-5 for Cleveland State, allowing four runs on 11 hits in 7.2 innings. Pahoulis earned his fourth save, retiring all four batters he faced.
    The loss was the final chapter in the playing careers of nine seniors for Youngstown State, including fifth-year players Diedrich, Page, Turjanica and Sean Lucas. Diedrich finished his tenure as the YSU career record holder in RBIs, home runs and total bases, and he ranks second in hits and runs scored. Page wrapped up his career ranking fifth in all-time hits. Lucas finished his senior campaign with 71 hits to become on of just a handful of players to post at least 70 in a season.