Niles, Ohio -- Freshman Jeremy Banks hit a walk-off single to cap a two-out rally in game one as the Youngstown State baseball team escaped with a doubleheader split against Cleveland State on Saturday at Eastwood Field.
     Banks' game-winner came after Cleveland State shortstop Tom Carter had a routine grounder go under his glove that should have given the Vikings the win. YSU won game one 6-5 but fell 6-3 in game two.
     Aaron Swenson picked up the victory in game one, outdueling Cleveland State ace Josh Hungerman. Swenson threw 135 pitches, six fewer than Hungerman, and struck out a career-high 11 batters to earn his third win.
     Hungerman was one out from a win before a series of uncommon events resulted in his fifth loss. With John Koehnlein on first and two outs, Hungerman was called for a balk when he threw to first as Koehnlein took off for second. Eric Marzec then hit a grounder that went right under Carter's glove at short and dribbled into left field, allowing Koehnlein to score the tying run.
     Three different pitchers threw to the next three batters, but none could get out of the inning. Joe Iacobucci singled up the middle off Sam Suitca, Eric Hymel singled on a slow grounder to Cater off closer Drew Fronczek, and Banks blooped Jimmy Cowhy's first pitch in front of a diving Brad Buell in center.
     YSU's first run of the game came on an error, and its third came on a wild pitch on what could have been an inning-ending strikeout.
     Two of Cleveland State's three runs in the third and fourth came on squeeze bunts.
     The Vikings led 5-3 through seven as Hungerman did not allow a hit in the fifth through seventh. Marzec led off the eighth with a single, and Hymel reached on an infield single two batters later. Greg Dissingner was beaned to load the bases, and C.J. Morris hit a sacrifice fly to center.
     The Vikings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two, and that's all the cushion that starter Anthony Sambula needed. He allowed three runs, one of which was earned, on five hits and three walks in a complete game victory. Sambula faced just three batters in six different innings.
     CSU's second through fifth batters accounted for nine of the Vikings' 13 hits. After No. 3 hitter Ryan Franks' run in the ninth, Cleveland State led 6-2 and held a 13-4 advantage in hits.
     Still, YSU threatened in the ninth and sent the tying run to the plate after another Carter error prolonged the inning. After Jason Reitenbach reached on the error, Dissinger walked and Jonathan Crist hit an RBI double. Morris grounded out to Carter to end the game.
     Cody Dearth was charged with the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in three innings.
     The Penguins and Vikings will battle for the series tomorrow at 3 p.m.