HORIZON LEAGUE Sacrifice fly wins game for Penguins

YSU swept a doubleheader with UW-Milwaukee to earn a first round bye in the league tournament.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Sophomore Brent Parks' sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning scored Sean Lucas with the winning run as the Youngstown State baseball team defeated UW-Milwaukee 5-4 and completed a doubleheader sweep Saturday afternoon at Eastwood Field.
The sweep guaranteed the Penguins the No. 2 seed in next week's Horizon League Tournament in Indianapolis and a first round bye.
Sophomore Andy Svitak pitched a two-hit shutout in the first game as the Penguins (28-24, 10-5) held on for a 1-0 victory over the Panthers (21-29, 11-8).
"What a gutsy effort that was today," said YSU head coach Mike Florak. "That is what's been missing these last few games, but I knew that they had it in them."
"This was such a huge series for us," Florak said. "And to get back-to-back pitching efforts like we got Friday and by Andy today was phenomenal, but this gutsy win in the second game really topped things."
The Penguins had been struggling coming into this series, losing nine of their last 10 games -- including four straight to Horizon League regular season champion Illinois-Chicago last weekend.
"We've had our ups and downs all season long," said Parks, a Canfield High standout. "We just want to be peaking right now for the tournament.
Strong opener
Svitak, a Parma Heights native, had the Panthers eating out of his hand in the opener. Besides holding them to just two singles and none until the fifth inning, he also had a career-high eight strikeouts. He walked five, but never had a runner reach second base.
"I really felt good today," he said. "I had a good fastball and my control was right where I wanted it."
The Penguins had just four hits, but gave Svitak all the support he needed in the first inning.
YSU had two of its four hits in the inning and, coupled with the game's only error by Milwaukee, the Penguins took a 1-0 lead that held up the rest of the way.
With one out, Brandon Caipen singled to left. Erich Diedrich then slammed a hard grounder toward first that went right under the glove of Ross McCoy and Caipen went all the way to third.
Justin Banks then drilled a single up the middle and the Penguins led 1-0.
The Penguins never got much more off Milwaukee pitcher Rick Cavaiani. They loaded the bases in the fourth, but couldn't score.
Comeback closer
The Panthers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the nightcap, scoring twice in the first and two more in the third off YSU starter Eric Shaffer.
The Penguins battled back to cut the lead to 4-3 when J.D. Hannan tripled in the third and scored on Caipen's sacrifice fly. In the fourth, back-to-back singles by Justin Banks and Jim Phillips followed by a sacrifice bunt from Dustin Thomas and Charles Schultz drove in the run with a single.
Hubbard's Kevin Libeg relieved Shaffer in the fifth with a runner on third and one out and pitched out of the jam. He pitched into the eighth before Josh Wells came on to finish the game and get the win.
The Penguins tied the game in the sixth when Thomas doubled down the left field line and Schultz followed with a single. Mike Turjanica was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Parks came on to pinch hit for Josh Page and hit a fly to right scoring the tying run.
Neither team scored in the seventh and Libeg and Wells shut down the Panthers in the eighth.
Thomas led off the bottom of the eighth and was hit by a pitch. Lucas went in to pinch run. Schultz sacrificed him to second and then Turjanica rapped a hard grounder off the leg of Panthers relief pitcher Rob Brockel that went for a hit with Lucas reaching third.
Parks hit the first pitch into shallow left field, but Lucas still scored easily as Nick Wichser's throw was well off the mark.
"Coach Antush told me to be looking for a fastball early, so I did and that's what I got," Parks said. "I knew I at least needed to get the ball to the outfield somewhere."
YSU assistant Craig Antush managed the team in the second game after Florak was ejected in the third inning.
"If they can play like that I'll sit out the rest of the season," Florak kidded.
The two teams play a single nine-inning game today at 1 p.m. at Eastwood Field.