May 6, 2007

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

Niles, Ohio- The UIC baseball team moved a bit closer to its sixth consecutive Horizon League regular season championship and the top seed in the league tournament with a doubleheader sweep of Youngstown State at Eastwood Field on Saturday.

The Flames (26-16, 17-4 Horizon League) survived a sloppy back-and-forth affair in the first game of the twinbill to win 9-8. UIC followed that up with a gem from starting pitcher Ryan Zink during a crisp 6-0 shutout of the Penguins (14-29, 6-16 Horizon League) in the final game of the day.

Game 1: UIC 9, Youngstown State 8

An unearned run in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference in a topsy-turvy 9-8 win for the Flames in the first game of the twinbill.

With the score even at 8-8 in the ninth, Jake Carr scored the game-winner from second with the help of Anthony Munoz's throwing error on a double-play attempt in the ninth to secure a series win over the Penguins.

Closer David Cales recovered from a shaky eighth to improve to 3-0 on the year after working the final two innings.

Micky Pingree went 3-for-3 with two RBI, and Larry Gempp Jr. also drove in a pair.

Chad Schroeder scored three times and stole three bases during the opener.

Starter Zach Peterson, still recovering from a flu virus that forced him to miss his scheduled start on Friday, allowed four earned runs in four and a third innings of work.

UIC tallied the contest's initial runs after loading the bases in the first. Gempp hit a shallow fly that landed between the shortstop and left fielder to plate one run, and Ben Trotter drove in another after he was hit by a pitch with the bags still packed.

The Penguins took the lead with a three-spot in the second. A leadoff single by Tom Clayton turned into a run on Mike Turjanica's double to left center, and Turjanica's delayed steal of home after Sean Lucas stole second tied the game. YSU then took the lead on John Koehnlein's RBI infield single.

Youngstown State extended its lead to three with two runs in the third. Two consecutive singles to begin the frame were converted into scores on an RBI groundout and a run-scoring double, respectively, to move the Penguin lead to 5-2.

The Flames chipped away at the three-run deficit. Ty Rubio led off the fourth with a single to right, moved to second when Schroeder was hit by a pitch, went to third on Nick Rainwater's bunt single and completed his trek home on Pingree's sacrifice fly to center.

In the sixth Schroeder walked, stole second and scored on a Pingree single to trim the Penguin advantage down to a run.

UIC produced the tying and go-ahead runs with two outs in the seventh. Trotter drew a walk and Ryan Schweikert singled to set up Tyler Moore, who hit a double to the wall in right center to drive in a pair.

Schroeder manufactured another run in the eighth. The senior shortstop was hit by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third on Rainwater's sacrifice bunt and scored on Aaron Swenson's wild pitch.

Following a single and steal of second by Pingree, Gempp knifed a double to the warning track in left centerfield to increase the Flames' lead to 8-5.

But the Flames were unable to hold the lead after the Penguins scored three times in the home half of the eighth. A double and a single to lead off the frame chased reliever Joe Skinner and brought Cales from first base to the mound. But the usually reliable closer blew his first save of the season following Mike Turjanica's two-run single and Koehlein's game-tying RBI base hit.

UIC re-took the lead for good in the next half-inning. Carr singled and slid safely into second after Corey Vukovic's throw to get Carr on Moore's bunt attempt went into center field. Schroeder then hit a double-play ball to short that would have ended the inning, but the Penguins could only get Moore at second after Munoz's toss went past Turjanica's grasp at first and allowed Carr to score the game-winner easily.

Cales then pitched a perfect ninth to end the game.

The win was UIC's fourth one-run victory against the Penguins this season and marked the fourth time that a game between the Flames and YSU was decided in the ninth inning.

Game 2: UIC 6, Youngstown State 0

Ryan Zink improved to 4-0 all-time versus Youngstown State by allowing just two hits in a masterful seven-inning performance, leading UIC to a 6-0 victory in Saturday's nightcap.

Zink (4-2) tossed seven shutout innings, only giving up hits in the third and fourth and facing just one batter over the minimum during his outing to befuddle the Penguins once again.

Rubio put UIC on the board first by scoring on Schroeder's hard-hit ball that Munoz, playing on the infield grass, watched go by his outstretched arm and into right in the third.

Erik Whinery added to the UIC advantage in the fifth with a two-run blast to left for his first home run in a Flames uniform.

The Flames began to pour on the offense with three runs in the sixth. Gempp lofted a sac fly to right to drive home Rainwater from third, and Carr and Cales tabbed back-to-back RBI hits.

Rainwater made some dazzling defensive plays at third base, including a diving stop to start an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play in the third.

UIC takes a brief two-game break from conference play with a pair of games against Big Ten teams this week, beginning on Tuesday against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. at 3:00 p.m.