UIC pitching stymies YSU in doubleheader

Flames sweep season series as Penguins fall to 1-8 in Horizon

Staff report

NILES

The Youngstown State baseball team dropped a doubleheader to UIC on Sunday at Eastwood Field losing 7-2 in game one and 9-0 in the second contest to the Flames.

With the defeats, YSU falls to 5-15 overall and 1-8 in the Horizon League. After winning all three games of the weekend series, UIC improves to 11-10-1 and 7-2.

In game one, the Penguins outhit the Flames 9-5 as Frank Califano and Alex Core each had a pair of hits.

The Flames started the top of the first with an unearned run by Cody Bohanek. The Penguins answered back in the bottom by tying the game 1-1. Califano singled up the middle and Shirley followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance Califano to second. Jake Fryman and Brent Gillespie both walked to load the bases. Core singled to left field for an RBI to bring home Califano.

UIC brought in four runs in the top of the fourth for a 5-1 led. YSU scored one run in the bottom to cut the Flames led 5-2. Shirley tripled to right field, Fryman flied out to center field to bring in Shirley with an RBI sacrifice fly. The Flames picked up a pair of runs in the top of the fourth and neither team scored the rest of the contest

UIC starter Ian Lewandowski got the win and Josh North, now 0-2, took the loss allowing just four hits, but had control issues walking seven and hitting two. Lewandowski pitched seven innings and scattered eight hits as he improved to 2-2 on the season.

After the fourth inning, the Penguins bullpen went five scoreless innings. Pitcher Jared Wight gave up no hits in three innings. Ryan Smith ended the game with only giving up one hit and three strike-outs in three innings of work.

In game two, Ryan Cordova had two doubles to lead the YSU offense. UIC scored in the second, third, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. UIC starting pitcher Jake Anderson pitched eight innings and allowed just four hits to improve to 3-2 on the season. YSU’s D.J. Carr took the loss pitching three innings. All three runs Carr allowed were unearned. The Penguins used five pitchers in the contest.

The Guins return to the diamond on Tuesday when they visit Kent State.