CHICAGO (May 9, 2010) – Chicago State baseball closed out its Great West Conference series at Olive-Harvey College with visiting North Dakota on a good note as it split a doubleheader winning the first game by a score of 2-1 before falling in the finale, 9-6. The Cougars saw their record improve to 3-42 (1-19), while the Fighting Sioux improved to 14-27 (10-10)
In the opening game, the home team got on the board for a 1-0 lead in the second inning after senior Patrick Hernandez (Romeoville, IL/Triton CC) (Romeoville, Ill.) led off the stanza with a walk and stole second before scoring on an RBI single up the middle from junior Billy Les (Oak Lawn, IL/South Suburban College) (Oak Lawn, Ill.).
UND tied up the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth when junior Andrew Sadler lined a run-scoring single to left center off CSU sophomore starter James Tucker (Gary, IN/Calumet) (Gary, Ind.) that scored fellow classmate Josh Lagein from second base.
Junior Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) plated senior Kevin Hussey (Pickering, ON/Olney Central College) (Pickerington, Ont.) from second with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to give the Cougars a 2-1 advantage. Hussey opened the inning with a walk.
The Fighting Sioux threatened to tie the game in the seventh after freshman Ridge Halenar walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Two plays later, Lagein hit a single up the middle, but redshirt sophomore Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) gunned a relay throw to Hussey at the plate to tag Halenar for the final out.
Les and senior Kellon McFarlin (Chicago, IL/Meramec CC) (Chicago, Ill.) led Chicago State offensively by hitting 2-for-3. Tucker (1-6) captured his first win of the season after throwing seven innings while holding UND to one run on three hits. He also struck out three and walked two on the day.
Sadler finished 1-for-2 at the plate and drove in the only run for UND. Junior Derek Biermeier (2-7) took the loss for the Fighting Sioux despite recording six strikeouts, but gave up two runs on six hits in six innings of work.
The visitors began the second game with three runs in the first inning with RBI singles from senior Josh Nelson and freshman Kris Kwak to gain a 3-0 leading margin.
CSU bounced back in the second inning to even the score at 3-3, highlighted by a two-RBI double by junior Miguel Camacho (Chicago, IL/Oakton CC) (Chicago, Ill.) and a run-scoring single from sophomore William Hill (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South) (Wheaton, Ill.).
Junior Josh Ray blasted a two-RBI double to center field in the top of the fifth that scored Lagein and junior Craig Dolmage to help UND recapture the lead at 5-3, but the home team scored a run in the bottom of the fifth when Hussey drove home Camacho from third with an RBI infield groundout that sliced its deficit to 5-4.
The Cougars tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning after senior Austin McDowell (Coal City, IL/Olney Central College) (Coal City, Ill.) drove home freshman Christian Prince (Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville) (Hudsonville, Mich.) from second base with a two-out RBI single to center field. Prince reached base with a single on the previous play.
The Fighting Sioux later regained the lead in the sixth inning with three runs to post an 8-5 leading margin. CSU pulled within 8-6 in the seventh inning when Prince hit a leadoff single through the left side of the infield and later scored on an infield double play.
UND added another run in the eighth inning with Nelson's RBI single to left field which plated Ray from second after he opened the inning with a double to left field for the final margin.
McDowell, Hill, Prince and McFarlin each recorded two hits to lead CSU on the offensive end, while Prince and Camacho scored two runs apiece. Freshman Dayton Dalman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) (Nashville, Ill.) dropped to 0-4 on the year after allowing three runs on five hits in three relief innings. Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) produced three strikeouts on the mound in the opening four innings.
North Dakota was led by Nelson's 4-for-5 effort at the plate with three RBI, while Ray also hit 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Dolmage went 4-for-6 and scored three times. Sophomore David Lind (3-2) gained the win for the visitors despite allowing six runs on 11 hits in seven and one-third innings of work. Junior Brandon Baumgartner threw one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief for the save.
CSU returns to action on Friday, May 14 with the first game of its final Great West Conference home series of the season at Olive-Harvey against Texas-Pan American. The first pitch of the series is set for 3 p.m.
~CSU~
