May 1, 2009

Baseball's Seven-Game League Stretch Begins Friday at Valpo

    Youngstown -- The Youngstown State baseball team opens May with seven consecutive Horizon League games that will ultimately decide its seed in the conference tournament at the end of the month.
    The Penguins are currently fourth in the Horizon League standings with an 8-9 conference record. They have five games remaining with Valparaiso, the team right below them at 7-8, and two with Wright Sate, which is third at 9-7.
    Three of those contests against Valpo will be this weekend, starting with Friday's game at 4 p.m. Eastern. The teams will also play a doubleheader at Emory G. Bauer Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern.
    The Penguins have won two of their last three contests, and they are coming off a win against Marshall on Wednesday in the program's 2,000th game. YSU got a career-best outing from freshman Jim Kinnick on the mound, and senior John Koehnlein drove in three runs in the 8-5 win. The Penguins rallied twice in game one, once from four runs down in the ninth, but stranded 14 runners and lost 8-6 in 10 innings.
    YSU's game one starter Aaron Swenson will try to continue his success against Valpo from last season. He went 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA in three starts against the Crusaders in 2008. He did not factor in the decision when the teams played in the opening round of the Horizon League Tournament, and Valpo went on to win 3-2. Cody Dearth and Phil Klein will start for YSU on Saturday.
    The Penguins will break for finals next week before hosting Wright State in a Friday doubleheader at 3 p.m.