May 4, 2008

Swenson, Early Runs Lead Penguins to Split with Wright State

    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.