Swenson pitches second-game victory

By Ryan Jones

YSU lost the opener to Wright State, then stopped the Raiders’ league-leading offense.

NILES — After dropping the opening game to Horizon League standings leader Wright State, 6-3, the Penguins parlayed an auspicious pitching performance into an 8-5 triumph in the night cap.

The victory came on Senior Day and moved YSU (10-9) into fourth place in the Horizon League standings.

Starting pitcher Aaron Swenson scattered 10 hits and allowed four earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. The sophomore struck out 10 and walked none.

Swenson (5-2) said keeping the talented Wright State lineup in check is almost impossible.

“Traditionally, they’re one of the best hitting teams in the league,” Swenson said about Wright State and its league-leading .326 batting average. “I figured they were going to score some runs. I went out there with the mindset that I was going to put up zeroes after we scored to keep the pressure on them.”

The right-hander worked the game plan to perfection — he hurled six shutout innings — while the Penguins offense jumped to an 8-0 lead.

Swenson said the Penguins’ productive offense allowed him to relax a bit.

“You never can totally relax as a pitcher, but when you get some runs behind you it helps,” he said. “You start to realize that you don’t have to do it all by yourself and that helps your confidence.”

Coach Rich Pasquale said Swenson is the MVP of this year’s squad.

“He keeps giving us everything he has,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for more — complete games, big strikeouts or whatever else we need. We feel we have a good chance of winning every time he takes the ball.”

YSU (18-28, 10-9) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Josh Page led off with single, advanced to second on a sac bunt by Sean Lucas and scored on a RBI single through the right side by Joe Iacobucci. Iacobucci scored when Anthony Porter reached on a throwing error by Raiders’ first basemen, Jeremy Hamilton.

The Penguins added another run in the third before tagging Wright State for four runs in the fourth.

Porter smacked a double to left center that plated Erich Diedrich, who led off the inning with a walk. After Tom Clayton sacrificed Porter to third, John Koehnlein singled home Porter for a 5-0 lead. Freshmen David Leon increased the lead to 7-0 when he hit his first career homer — a two-run shot to right field that plated Koehnlein.

Diedrich, who went 3-for-4 with a RBI, a walk and a run scored, said the team showed its never quit attitude in the second game of the double dip.

“We wanted to come out firing off the bat,” he said. “We wanted to get up early because we know we’re in good hands with Aaron [Swenson] on the mound. The first game was one of those games where you have to tip your hat to the opposing pitcher — he made some great pitches. But the second game gives us the confidence that we can beat them [Wright State], and we play them at their place on Friday. ”

Leon collected two hits and two RBIs. Page, Lucas and Koehnlein had two hits and a run scored each.

Wright State (24-18, 13-6) took the opener 6-3 by relying on the arm of starting pitcher Jon Durket.

Durket (4-2) scattered six hits in seven shutout innings before giving way to the bullpen.

Iacobucci (solo home run in the eighth) and Clayton (two-run dinger in the ninth) provided the offense for the Penguins.