OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – Chicago State baseball kicked off a four-game Great West Conference series here by splitting a doubleheader at President's Field winning the first game by a 5-4 margin before dropping a tight 15-14 decision in 12 innings.
The home team opened the scoring in the first game when junior Michael Fermin broke a scoreless tie in the second inning with an RBI infield groundout that scored freshman James Bulva from third base after he led off with a double and later stole third.
In the top of the fourth, the Green and White came back to even the score at 1-1 after senior Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) crossed home plate off fellow classmate Ryan Malhotra (Oakville, ONT/Niagara County CC)'s (Oakville, Ontario) RBI sacrifice fly to left center, but a pair of throwing errors helped NYIT reclaim the lead at 2-1 in the bottom half of the stanza.
The Cougars struck again in the fifth inning with three runs highlighted by a two-RBI double to center field from Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) and senior Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) also posted an RBI sacrifice fly during the inning. A solo home run by freshman Nick Sebastian off CSU starter Dylan Sterrett (Chalmers, Ind./Frontier) (Chalmers, Ind.) to left field sliced the Bears' deficit to 4-3.
Malhotra responded in the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run of his own to left field off NYIT starting pitcher Ryan Dillabough to increase CSU's lead to 5-3, but freshman Michael Fermin scored off a wild pitch in the bottom half of the sixth to pull the home team within 5-4 after being hit by a pitch to reach base.
Senior reliever Andrew Watson (Shawnee, OK/Eastern Oklahoma State CC) (Shawnee, Okla.) held off a two-out rally in the seventh inning by the home team with runners on first and second with a strikeout to give CSU the win and earned his first save of the season.
Malhotra and Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) paced CSU offensively by hitting 1-of-3 with two RBI apiece, while Sterrett improved his season record to 2-4 on the year after recording a strikeout and a walk in five innings of work. Watson allowed one run on three hits in two relief innings and struck out four NYIT batters.
Fermin led NYIT's offensive surge by hitting 2-of-3 and scored a pair of runs. Ryan Dillabough (0-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in seven innings of work to take the loss while posting six strikeouts.
The visitors began the second game with an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second which included a two-run homer from senior Shane McGaharan (Northwood, OH/Patrick Henry CC) (Northwood, Ohio) to right field, but NYIT responded with seven runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by a two-run double from senior Sebastian Grazziani, to gain a 7-3 lead.
CSU scored two runs in the top of the third on an RBI bunt single from junior Eric O'Brien (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino) (Tucson, Ariz.) and an RBI fielder's choice by senior Jack Bobillo (Michigan City, IN/Kalamazoo Valley CC) (Michigan City, Ind.) to close within 7-5, but the Bears also added two runs to increase its advantage to 9-5 in the bottom of the third.
Malhotra belted a three-run home run as part of a four-run rally in the top of the fourth by the Green and White to even the score at 9-9. Junior Robert Loftus scored sophomore Joey LaCugna from third with an RBI groundout to give the home team the lead at 10-9 in the bottom of the fourth.
Senior Jeremy Ratajczyk (Highland, IN/Indiana University Northwest) (Highland, Ind.) lined an RBI single in the fifth inning that scored freshman Mattingly Romanin (Burlington, ONT/Notre Dame) (Burlington, Ontario), who reached base on a fielder's choice, to even the score at 10-10.
NYIT tallied four runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to regain the lead at 14-10 with Fermin producing his first collegiate homer in the seventh.
CSU posted a dramatic comeback in the ninth inning by scoring four runs that included an RBI double from Bobillo and an RBI single by O'Brien to tie the game at 14-14. The score stayed the same until the bottom of the 12th inning when Loftus lined an RBI triple to score Alex Angus for the game-winning run.
McGaharan paced the Cougars with a 4-of-7 effort at the plate with two RBI, while Malhotra hit 3-of-7 and drove in three runs. Watson (0-5) took the loss for CSU despite allowing a run on one hit in 2.1 innings of relief.
Fermin posted a 4-of-7 day to lead NYIT offensively and sophomore James Duggan (2-4) claimed the win after throwing three scoreless relief innings with a pair of strikeouts.
~CSU~
