May 5, 2007

Flames Rally in Ninth, Silence Bats in Doubleheader Sweep

    Niles, Ohio -- UIC scored the game-winning run on an error in the ninth in game one and got seven strong innings from Ryan Zink in game two in a doubleheader sweep of Youngstown State on Saturday at Eastwood Field.
    The Flames rallied from a 5-2 deficit to win the opener 9-8 and held the Penguins to four hits in a 6-0 victory in the nightcap.
    In game one the Flames got an unearned run in the top of the ninth that proved to be the game winner on an attempt to turn a double play. Jake Carr hit a leadoff single and moved to second on a fielder's choice bunt and error. After reliever Ryan Sellman caught another sacrifice bunt attempt, Carr scored all the way from second when the double play throw to first skipped away.
    It was the fourth time the Flames won in their last at bat in the season series and the fourth time they won by one run.
    The Flames got two runs on only one hit in the first inning thanks to two walks and two hit batsmen. The hit came when Larry Gempp Jr's pop fly into shallow left center with the bases loaded got lost in the sunshine.
    YSU took the lead with a three-run second and scored two more in the third to go up 5-2. Tom Clayton led off the second with a single to left and scored two batters later on Mike Turjanica's double. Turjanica advanced to third when Sean Lucas reached on an error, and the pair followed with a double steal to tie the score. Lucas moved to third on a groundout and scored on John Koehnlein's  infield single.
    Erich Diedrich and Brent Parks hit back-to-back singles to start the third and Dustin Wachter came up with an RBI groundout two batters later. Turjanica then hit his second RBI double to bring in Parks to make the score 5-2.
    UIC got within one when Micky Pingree drove in Chad Schroeder on a two-out single in the sixth, and Tyler Moore's two-run double in the seventh put the Flames up 6-5. Schroeder then scored on a wild pitch and Gempp Jr hit an RBI double in the eighth to up the margin to three.
    The Penguins erupted for three runs on five hits and two errors in the eighth to tie the score at 8-8. Tom Clayton hit a leadoff double and advanced on an infield single and ensuing error from Dustin Wachter. Turjanica then hit a two-run single to cut the lead to one, and Koehnlein singled to right to plate Turjanica with the tying run. Then with runners on second and third, Page hit a bloop single to center that Gempp Jr fielded and threw out Eric Marzec at home.
    YSU starter Adam Kalafos allowed four runs on six hits in six innings but did not factor in the decision. Corey Vukovic was tagged with the hard-luck loss, allowing the unearned run in the ninth.
    The Penguins got to UIC starter Zach Peterson with five runs in 4 1/3 innings, and David Cales escaped with the win despite allowing a run on three hits in two innings of relief.
    In game two, the Flames manufactured a run in the third without recording a hit. Ty Rubio was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Rubio moved to third on a wild pitch, he scored on an error with the infield in.
    Eric Wintery then put the Flames up 3-0 with a two-run homer in the fifth, and UIC scored three runs on three hits in the sixth to go up by six.
    Zink, who threw a seven-inning no-hitter the last time he threw against YSU at Eastwood Field, allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings to improve to 4-2 on the season.
    YSU will play host to UW-Milwaukee on Friday at Eastwood Field. The game is currently scheduled for 7 p.m., but it may change to a 3 p.m. doubleheader to make up a rained out contest earlier in the year. Check YSUsports.com throughout the week for further details.