Monday, May 26, 2003
FAIRBORN -- Jim Lipinski and Jim Phillips had three RBIs each, as Youngstown State beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 9-6 in the opening round of the Horizon League baseball tournament at Nischwitz Stadium Thursday.
The Penguins (27-26) advanced to a winner's bracket game against Butler today at 6:30 p.m.
Phillips and Lipinski combined to knock home the Penguins' final five runs of the game, on three two-out hits.
Pitcher is impetus
"Those hits were big," YSU coach Mike Florak said. "Kyle Sobecki is such a fierce competitor and we feed off of his effort. That is what the makeup of this team is all about."
Sobecki (6-4) went six innings and came back strong after letting a 4-0 lead get away in the second. He struck out three and walked one, scattering nine hits.
Freshman Justin Thomas earned his first career save, pitching the last three innings. Thomas allowed two hits and struck out three in his initial postseason appearance.
Phillips came through in the fifth with a two-run single to put the Penguins in front 6-4. Adam Cox singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Justin Banks' flyout, Lipinski and Brian Boone kept the inning going by drawing walks to load the bases. Phillips laced a pitch to left-center scoring Cox and Lipinski.
Two innings later, Phillips ripped a two-out double to score Lipinski from second and boost YSU's lead to 7-4.
The Panthers (25-24) scratched out two runs in the bottom of the seventh and knocked Sobecki from the contest. Troy Doering and Steve Sanfilippo singled to open the inning and Thomas came on to replace Sobecki. After striking out Pudlosky, Thomas allowed an RBI single to Ben Stanczyk and an RBI ground out to Matt Alexander before working out of the inning when Marcellus Dawson grounded out to second. After that Thomas allowed one base runner the final two innings.
Lipinski came through in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs, he drilled a single to put YSU in front 9-6.
The Penguins built a 4-0, scoring three times in the first and once in the second.
Kendall Schlabach led off the game with a walk and moved over to third when Brandon Caipen followed with a bunt single up the first-base line that was misplayed by the UW-Milwaukee infield. Charles Schultz scored Schlabach with a base hit as Caipen moved to third. Caipen, who had three hits, came in to score on a mishandled ground ball by Justin Banks. Schultz advanced to third on the play and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lipinski.
Schlabach scored again in the second. He walked with one out, stole second and scored on a single to right by Schultz.