Ace Swenson has strong outing, but errors deny Penguins the win

Youngstown state baseball and softball

NILES — The Youngstown State baseball team committed five errors to overshadow a solid outing by Aaron Swenson as Milwaukee escaped with a 4-3 win on Friday at Eastwood Field.

The five errors resulted in two unearned runs, including Milwaukee’s game-winner in the ninth.

Five of YSU’s seven Horizon League losses have been by one run, and the winning run has scored in the opponents’ last at bat in each of those five.

Andy Gerhartz stole four bases for Milwaukee, including home in the ninth when catcher Jonathan Crist threw to first to complete a strikeout.

The Penguins also had a runner thrown out a home in the second inning.

Still, YSU had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Jason Reitenbach reached to start the inning after striking out on a wild pitch, and Jeremy Banks drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second. Pinch hitter Casey Holland ripped a line drive down the line that first baseman Shawn Wozniak needed all 6-feet, 4-inches of his frame to snag on a lunge to his left on what probably would have been a game-winning double.

Swenson went toe-to-toe with reigning Horizon League pitcher of the week Brad Lusti in a no-decision. Swenson allowed just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven before leaving with the score tied through seven innings.

Lusti hung on for the win, allowing three runs on nine hits in eight innings. The senior won his fourth straight decision, but YSU had nine hits and scored three runs off him, which equaled the combined total of his last two starts.

Eric Marzec did not allow a hit or walk a batter in his two innings of relief but suffered his fourth loss.

Banks went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Jacke Healey hit a two-run homer for YSU. C.J. Morris added three hits, but those three accounted for eight of YSU’s nine hits.

Gerhartz had two hits for UWM, which had six of its seven hits by the fourth inning. The Panthers had at least eight hits in 16 straight games entering the contest.

The Panthers struck first in the third with a run on three hits off Swenson when Gerhartz singled in Shaun Wegner.

Morris singled in Healey with a two-out RBI in the fourth to tie the contest, but Gerhartz stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth to put UWM back on top, 2-1.

Healey’s two-run homer in the sixth gave YSU its first lead at 3-2, but three errors in the final three innings doomed the Penguins. Two of those errors came on one play in the seventh.

Johann Andes scored from second when Banks had a grounder glance off him into foul territory at first, and his toss to Swenson to try and retire batter Doug Dekoning sailed wide and rolled toward the mound. Swenson struck out Josh Groves and got Tim Patzman to hit a grounder in front of the mound to minimize the damage.

In the ninth, Gerhartz reached with one out when his grounder went under Healey’s glove at short. He then stole second, and he went to third when the one-hopper from Crist squirted away from Healey as he fell from Gerhartz’s slide. Marzec got Dekoning to swing at a ball in the dirt for strike three, and Crist had to throw to Banks to complete the strikeout. Gerhartz took off for home on the throw and beat Banks’ attempt from first.

The teams play a doubleheader today at Eastwood Field, starting at noon.

Softball

CLEVELAND —Sophomore Kim Klonowski hit a two-run home run in each game but the Youngstown State was swept by Cleveland State, 6-2, 7-2, in a Horizon League doubleheader at Viking Field.

The Penguins fell to 6-29 overall and 3-13 in the Horizon, while CSU improved to 24-13, 12-3.

Klonowski clubbed her seventh home run of the season in the fourth inning of the opener to tie the game at 2-2 after Haley Thomas led off with a single.

The Penguins, however, would not get another hit and the Vikings tallied a run in the bottom of the fourth to break the tie, two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.

In the nightcap, the Penguins mustered just four hits led by Thomas’ 2-for-3 performance and Klonowski’s second home run in the sixth inning.

The teams play a single game today at 2 p.m.