Monday, April 30, 2012
By Brandon Judeh
Niles
It took 40 games, but the YSU baseball team finally achieved its first winning streak of the year by beating Illinois-Chicago, 9-7 and 9-0 in a doubleheader at Eastwood Field on Sunday.
Outfielder Marcus Heath single handedly carried the Penguins (7-34, 5-16 HL) in game one. He went 3 for 4 and knocked in five runs.
Heath ignited YSU in the first inning when he blasted a three-run homer to left field to give his team the early lead.
“I saw some good pitches and some guys in front of me got on base and I was able to capitalize on some mistakes the pitchers made,” Heath said.
The Flames (16-25, 9-12) got a run back in the second when Alex De LaRosa capped off a two-out rally with an RBI single that cut the lead to 3-1.
In the fifth inning Jeremy Banks knocked in a run and, once again, Heath came through in the clutch.
With runners on second and third, Heath delivered a two-run single to give the Penguins a 6-1 lead.
YSU pulled away for good in the sixth on an RBI bunt single by David Leon and, two batters later, Drew Dosch reached on a throwing error that scored two more.
The Flames rallied for three runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
In game two, starting pitcher Blake Aquadro pitched a complete game and the Penguins put on a hitting clinic.
“There’s nothing better than pitching a complete game shutout; it’s awesome,” said Aquadro.
Aquadro threw a hefty 144 pitches, but said his arm is fine.
“I feel great, I wasn’t even paying attention to the pitch count to be honest, I was just trying to get the win.”
The offense exploded for 15 hits in game two, with Banks and Jason Shirley each going 4 for 4 with a walk.
Leon started things off by knocking in a run in the second, but it was what the offense did in the middle of the game that opened up a lot of eyes.
YSU scored three in the fourth thanks to RBIs by Leon, Phil Lipari and Banks.
In the fifth, the Penguins pushed the lead to 8-0 thanks to Lipari knocking in two more runs on a bases-loaded single. Banks followed suit by knocking in two of his own.
YSU coach Rich Pasquale is pleased with the way his team played over the weekend.
“We have been swinging the bats well, we did some different things with the lineup this series and I think it gave the guys some confidence,” he said.
Banks went 5 for 6 and knocked in four RBIs in both games and also collected his 200th career hit.