Feb. 25, 2007

Bats Better Despite 9-5 Loss at Stephen F. Austin

    Nacogdoches, Texas -- Youngstown State had its best offensive performance of the weekend but still couldn't overcome the power of Stephen F. Austin in a 9-5 loss on Sunday afternoon at Jaycees Field.
    The Penguins outhit the Lumberjacks 10-8 and had three players post two hits, but SFA had three home runs to bring their weekend total to eight and complete a three-game sweep.
    John Koehnlein, Eric Marzec and Dustin Wachter had two hits apiece for the Penguins (0-3) while Steven Hill had two hits and five RBIs for the Lumberjacks (6-8).
    YSU took an early lead with two unearned runs in the top of the first on RBIs from Brent Parks and Lou Gattozzi. Koehnlein lead off the game with a single for the third straight day and advanced to third on an error and a fielder's choice. Brent Parks then brought Koehnlein in on a fly to left, and Lou Gattozzi brought home Erich Diedrich on an RBI groundout.
    The lead was short lived as YSU starter Adam Kalafos walked the first two hitters and Hill hit a three-run home run to put the Lumberjacks up 3-2. Noel Trevino upped the lead to two on an RBI single in the second.
    Marzec brought the Penguins back within one in the fourth when he singled home Parks, but the Lumberjacks got the run back in the fourth and added three more in the sixth to go up 8-3.
    YSU loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh but on mustered one run when Wachter scored on Josh Page's fielder's choice.
    The Lumberjacks got an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh before Rob Sullivan scored on Koehnlein's ground out in the ninth for the final tally.
    Kalafos struck out seven in five innings but allowed five runs on five hits to take the loss. Erich Lehmann allowed three runs in five innings to improve to 2-1 on the season.
    The Penguins will play a three-game series at Missouri beginning Friday.