Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Niles, Ohio -- Youngstown State jumped out to an eight-run
lead and got another strong effort from sophomore Aaron Swenson to
defeat Wright State 8-5 in game two of a doubleheader on Sunday
afternoon.
Wright State held off a Youngstown State rally in game one to
win 6-3 on a sunny day that made a two-hour rain delay on Friday
evening and a rain out on Saturday an afterthought.
With the series cancelled between UIC and Cleveland State,
Wright State dropped percentage points behind UIC in the Horizon
League standings with a record of 13-6. Cleveland State remains
third with a record of 9-7 while YSU is fourth at 10-9.
Swenson allowed five runs - four of which were earned - on 10
hits and struck out 10 in 8.1 innings of work. He retired the first
four batters of the game on strikes, and he struck out at least one
batter in each of the first seven innings. He improved to 5-2
overall and 5-0 in six games against Horizon League opponents.
After scoring three runs in the final two innings of game one,
the Penguins used that momentum to score eight runs in the first
four frames of game two. Josh Page hit a leadoff single and moved
to second on Sean Lucas' sacrifice bunt. Joe Iacobucci then singled
home Page and scored one batter later when Anthony Porter's
grounder was misplayed.
C.J. Morris scored another unearned run in the second when
Lucas' single to left got past Casey McGrew, and the Penguins
erupted for four runs in the third. Erich Diedrich drew a leadoff
walk and scored on Porter's double. John Koehnlein then singled
home Porter, and David Leon followed with his first career home run
to make the score 7-0.
In the fourth, Lucas hit a one out single, stole second and
scored on Diedrich's double to put the Penguins up 8-0.
Swenson breezed through the first four innings and worked around
a leadoff double in the fifth, but the Raiders finally broke
through for two runs in the seventh. Jeff Mercer doubled to shallow
left when Leon slipped on wet grass trying to run the ball down
from his shortstop position, and Ross Vagades followed with a home
run to left.
The Raiders scored twice in the eighth on two hits and two
errors, and they scored again with one out in the ninth to close
within three. Craig Gillet relieved Swenson and promptly picked off
Sam Mote from first, and he got Casey McGrew to fly out to earn his
second save.
Diedrich finished with a game-high three hits to lead YSU's
13-hit attack.
Michael Woytek was charged with the loss in game two, allowing
seven runs on seven hits and two walks in three innings.
In game one, the Raiders were the ones who jumped out early with
a four-run second inning. Vagades hit a leadoff triple and scored
one batter later when Gerald Ogrinc grounded out. John Kopilchack
walked and Mote singled to put runners at the corners, and McGrew
reached when his potential double-play grounder was bobbled. The
Raiders went on to score two more runs as Jeremy Hamilton doubled
in Mote and McGrew.
Vagades drove in Hamilton on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and
Mercer singled in Justin Parker in the seventh to put Wright State
up 6-0.
The Penguins grounded into three double plays in the first five
innings and failed to score when they had runners on second and
third with one out in the seventh. Iacobucci homered with two outs
in the eighth to put YSU on the board, and Tom Clayton hit a
pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth.
Corey Vukovic was tagged with the loss in game one, allowing all
six runs - four of which were earned - in 6.2 innings. Adam Kalafos
and Ryan Sellman combined to throw 2.1 scoreless innings of
relief.
Jon Durket earned the win for Wright State, allowing six hits
and two walks in seven innings.
The Penguins will be off during finals week until they play two
games at Wright State on Friday and two more at Valparaiso on
Saturday.