CHICAGO – Junior Tony Sanchez (Plainfield, IL/Heartland CC) (Chicago, Ill.) produced his best hitting day of the season in leading host Chicago State (8-33, 3-13) to a 6-5 comeback win over Houston Baptist (14-32, 12-7) in a Great West Conference contest Saturday afternoon at Brooks Field.
Sanchez went 3-of-5 at the plate on the day and drove in five runs for the Green and White, including the winning run in the 13th after being hit by a pitch, and belted his first home run in a Cougar uniform.
The visitors captured its lone lead of the contest by recording three runs in the first inning off CSU starting pitcher Gregory Day (East Chicago, IN/East Chicago Central) (East Chicago, Ind.).
In the fourth inning, Sanchez put the Cougars on the board with a solo home run off HBU starter Chase Hernandez that went to left field which sliced their deficit to 3-1.
The Green and White added four runs in the fifth inning to gain their first lead of the contest at 5-3 that included a three-RBI, bases-clearing double from Sanchez to left center as the highlight of the stanza. Freshman Gavin Trevino (Jenison, MI/East Kentwood) (Jenison, Mich.) also scored on a wild pitch after reaching base via a one-out single.
Junior Asai Adame lined an RBI single off Day in the sixth inning to bring home fellow junior Kolby Arnst, who led off the inning with a single, to pull HBU to within a run at 5-4. The Huskies evened the score at 5-all in the eighth when Adame scored freshman Tanner Kalina from third base via an RBI fielder's choice.
The score remained the same as both teams battled defensively until the 13th when CSU loaded the bases with a single from redshirt junior Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.), a fielder's choice by senior Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) and a bunt single from junior Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) before Sanchez's heroics.
Albert and Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) each hit 2-of-6 for Chicago State, while junior Andrew Watson (Shawnee, OK/Eastern Oklahoma State CC) (Shawnee, Okla.) threw six scoreless relief innings to capture the win and improve his record to 2-1. Watson allowed only two hits, struck out two batters and walked two. Day finished the game with six strikeouts and walked two in seven innings of work.
Houston Baptist was led by junior Luke Clements, who hit 3-of-6 at the plate with a triple and scored a run. Freshman Kobie Hajdik (1-2) took the loss after giving up a run on two hits in two relief innings, while Hernandez tallied seven strikeouts and walked one in seven innings thrown.
The Cougars and the Huskies close out the series tomorrow morning with the first pitch set for 11 a.m.
~CSU~
