EDINBURG, Texas – Chicago State baseball came back from a 10-run deficit in the seventh inning to send the game into extra innings in its Great West Conference opening series finale against Texas-Pan American, but the host team escaped with a 16-15 win Sunday afternoon at Edinburg Baseball Stadium. UTPA improved its record to 15-16 (4-0), while the Cougars fell to 4-21 (0-4) on the year.
The scoring began in the first inning for UTPA when Angel Ibanez drove home Alex Carnall from second base with an RBI single off CSU starter Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) through the left side to claim a 1-0 lead. Adrian De La Rosa tallied an RBI single in the second inning which scored Jason Webb to hike the Broncs' advantage to 2-0.
CSU got on the board in the top of the third inning when junior Weston Lewis (Denver, CO/Colby CC) (Denver, Colo.) hit the his first home run in a Cougar uniform via a two-run shot off UTPA starting pitcher Luis Flores that scored senior Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) to even the score at 2-2. The home team produced three runs in the bottom of the third to recapture a 5-2 advantage that included RBI singles from Webb and Roger Bernal
The Green and White pulled within 5-3 in the top of the third after senior Miguel Camacho (Chicago, IL/Oakton CC) (Chicago, Ill.) led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on junior William Hill (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South)'s (Wheaton, Ill.) single before scoring on a throwing error, but UTPA added four runs in the bottom half of the inning to increase its leading margin to 9-3.
Camacho struck again in the top of the fifth when he drilled a two-RBI triple to right center that scored Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) and Lewis, who recorded singles on consecutive plays, to close within 9-5. Stuart MacInness hit a two-run double and Ibanez posted an RBI single during a five-run rally in the bottom half of the fifth to stretch the Broncs' lead to 14-5. Ibanez plated Carnall with a single to center field to hike UTPA's lead to 15-5 in the sixth inning.
The Cougars started their comeback in the seventh when they produced four runs to slice their deficit to 15-9 then added two more runs in the eighth and another four in the ninth to even the score at 15 apiece and send the game into extra innings. UTPA scored the game-winning run in the 10th when Vincent Mejia drove home Brandon Roush with an RBI double to left center off CSU reliever Jose Leon (Chicago, IL/Gwendolyn Brooks) (Chicago, Ill.)
Lewis paced Chicago State offensively by going 4-of-6 with three RBI and scored three times, while junior Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) hit 4-of-5 and scored three times. Leon (1-1) threw a season-best five innings of relief with three strikeouts and walked two despite allowing two runs on six hits to take the loss for the Green and White. Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) tallied four strikeouts in three innings of work on the mound.
UTPA was led by MacInness' 4-of-6 output at the plate, drove in five runs and scored three times. Roush also posted a 4-of-5 effort and scored four times. Barrera (1-0) threw a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to capture the win for the Broncs.
CSU is back in action on Tuesday afternoon with a road contest at Valparaiso beginning at 3 p.m.
~CSU~
