Penguins upend UIC in Horizon tourney opener

Staff report

GARY, IND.

Senior Aaron Swenson pitched seven solid innings, and the Youngstown State baseball team capitalized on three UIC errors to defeat the Flames 8-4 in the opening round of the 2010 Horizon League Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Army.

The sixth-seeded Penguins advanced to play top-seeded Wright State today at 8 p.m.

Swenson held the Flames to two runs on six hits while striking out eight in seven innings. He walked just one.

Swenson worked out of a big jam in the second inning once the Flames put runners on first and third with no outs. Swenson struck out Ryan Boss, and Nathan Orf was tagged out in a rundown between third and home when Joe Betcher hit a grounder to third. Andy Leonard then flew out to end the inning.

Swenson has pitched 992/3 innings this season, which is a school record. He increased his season strikeout total to 94, which ranks second on the all-time list.

Seven players had two hits for YSU. Tom Clayton had two RBIs, and Padraic Williams scored twice. Jacke Healey had an RBI, his 59th of the season, which also set a school record.

The Penguins broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with three runs on three hits and a UIC error. Williams drew a one-out walk and stole second, then scored when Derek Carr’s hard grounder to Matt Serna at second was misplayed.

Healey singled and stole second to put runners on second and third, and he and Carr scored when Clayton bounced a single over a drawn-in infield.

UIC got a run back in the sixth, but a big defensive play by Clayton kept YSU’s lead at two. With runners on second and third and one out, Orf hit a deep fly to right that Clayton caught at the warning track on a slide. Steve McGuiggan scored from third, and Serna was thrown out trying to score from second when Anthony Porter blocked the plate.

UIC closed to 3-2 in the seventh but the Penguins pulled away with three unearned runs in the eighth.