CRESTWOOD, Ill. (April 24, 2009) – After being idle for 10 days due to inclement weather in the Chicagoland area, Chicago State baseball opened a six-game road swing Thursday afternoon with a heartbreaking 9-8 loss to Robert Morris (Ill.) College at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, Ill. This game was originally scheduled to play last Sunday, but was rescheduled due to rain and unplayable field conditions. The Eagles improved their record to 29-12, while the Cougars fell to 3-33 on the year.
Robert Morris started the game with a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Dave Moreno hit a leadoff single, stole second base and moved to third on an infield groundout before scoring on an RBI sacrifice fly by Joe DeCault to center field.
The visitors responded in the third inning when senior Matt Haug (Plymouth, IN/Ancilla CC) (Plymouth, Ind.) connected on a three-run double to left field that scored freshman Kasey Lewandowski (Milwaukee, WI/Rufus King HS) (Milwaukee, Wis.), sophomore Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) and junior Austin McDowell (Coal City, IL/Olney Central College) (Coal City, Ill.) as it captured a 3-1 lead. Lewandowski was hit by a pitch, while Carpen and McDowell drew walks before all three ended up scoring.
Freshman Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) lined an RBI single to left in the top of the fourth as the Cougars increased their leading margin to 4-1. Freshman William Hill (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South) (Wheaton, Ill.) scored on the play as he pinch ran for senior Preston Pires (Waipahu, HI/Kalani HS) (Waipahu, Hawai'i), who walked to open the inning. A home run from Sean Butler to left field and an RBI double by J.T. Scara down the left field line helped the Eagles slice their deficit to 4-3 following the bottom of the fourth.
CSU added a pair of runs in the sixth inning to hike its advantage to 6-3 that started when Lewandowski was hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI double by senior Kellon McFarlin (Chicago, IL/Meramec CC) (Chicago, Ill.). McFarlin later crossed home plate on an RMC throwing error after stealing third base.
The Cougars scored two more runs in the top of the seventh to increase their leading margin to 8-3. McDowell led off the inning with a walk and scored two plays later on a wild pitch, while senior Patrick Hernandez (Romeoville, IL/Triton CC) (Romeoville, Ill.) lined a single through the right side and later scored on an infield error. RMC closed within 8-6 in the bottom half of the seventh as Matt Whitney blasted a three-run homer to left center.
Three more runs crossed the plate for the Eagles as they took their first lead since the first inning at 9-8. Moreno hit a one-out single to left field and moved to third on Mike Warner's single to center field before scoring on an RBI single from DeCault. Warner crossed home plate following a single from Meyer through the left side and DeCault later scored on a CSU infield error.
CSU threatened to send the game into extra innings as Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) reached on an infield error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from McDowell, but RMC closer Ryan Rowe held on to record the final two outs to earn the save.
Leading the Eagles offensively was DeCault, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and scored two runs on the day, and Whitney finished 2-for-5 with three RBI. Jon Arguelles (4-2) captured the win for RMC as he struck out a batter in one and two-thirds innings of relief.
Haug paced CSU's offense by going 2-of-5 with a double and drove in three runs, while Hernandez and McFarlin each posted two hits and scored a run. Redshirt freshman Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (0-5) took the loss after allowing an unearned run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning of relief on the mound.
The Cougars head to Big 12 country for their final mid-week series of the season with a two-game set at Kansas, beginning Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m.
~CSU~
