Swenson Homers In Baseball's 9-3 Loss To UTPA

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NOTE: Chicago State and UTPA will now play a doubleheader on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cougar Stadium to conclude the series. The change is due to forecasted rain on Sunday in the Chicagoland area.
 
CHICAGO - Chicago State had their work cut out for them on Friday night at Cougar Stadium against UTPA starter Sam Street. The Australian native entered the contest leading the nation with seven complete games. The Cougars hung a season-high 11 hits on Street, but a five-run ninth inning for the Broncs ended up being the difference in Chicago State's 9-3 loss.
 
Street would use a 139-pitch effort to earn his eighth complete game of the year and move his record to 10-0.
 
Senior Andrew Wellwerts (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) started on the mound for the Cougars. After allowing two runs each in the first and third innings, Wellwerts allowed only two hits and struck out six during his final 3.1 innings of work. Overall, he pitched 7.1 innings allowed eight hits, three earned runs, three walks and had a career-high eight strikeouts. He threw 147 pitches. Wellwerts is now 2-7 on the year.
 
The Cougars were trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning when junior Robert Swenson (Mason City, Iowa/Mason City) stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. On a 1-1 count, Swenson put the Cougars back in the game with a towering three-run home run to left field that cleared the scoreboard in Cougar Stadium. The home run was Swenson's second of the year. It was the first home run allowed by Street this season, snapping a streak of 94.1 innings without allowing a home run dating back to May 21, 2013. It was just the third home run allowed by Street in 211 career innings. Swenson finished the game 1-for-3 with a walk and 3 RBI. The catcher also threw out three runners on the base paths. Juniors Mattingly Romanin (Burlington, ONT/Notre Dame) and Chase Matheson (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) recorded five of the Cougars' 11 hits. Romanin went 3-for-5 while Matheson went 2-for-5.

Junior Jared Patterson (Ventura, Calif./Buena) made a run saving catch in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs and a runner on second base, UTPA's Edgar Cordon sent a ball towards left center field and Patterson sprinted in and dove, sliding on his stomach, to make the play and preserve the 4-3 ballgame. However it wouldn't be a 4-3 game much longer after UTPA's five-run final inning. In the ninth inning Chicago State walked four batters and allowed four hits while using four different pitchers.
 
"It was a shame because it should have been 4-3 going to the ninth and trying to see what he (Street) had left," Chicago State head coach Steve Joslyn said. "Offensively, we had 11 hits and had four or five more we hit hard. That was the good thing tonight. Andy (Wellwerts) struggled a bit early but bounced his way back late in the game."
 
UTPA improves to 18-24 (8-8 Western Athletic Conference). Chicago State falls to 13-26 (2-11 WAC). The Cougars and Broncs will continue their series on Saturday with a doubleheader at 3 p.m.