Stephen F. Austin
Youngstown State
Home Runs Pace SFA's Sweep of Youngstown State
2/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2007
NACOGDOCHES - The long ball once again paced the Stephen F. Lumberjacks to defeat the Youngstown State Penguins as three Lumberjack home runs were hit in SFA's 9-5 win Sunday afternoon. Steven Hill drove in a career high five runs off two home runs. Chris Smith added a home run of his own in the game that completed SFA's first sweep this season.
Youngstown State, who had only scored one run in each of the previous two games, took its first lead of the series in the first inning. John Koehnlein led off the inning with a single through the left side. He was put in scoring position after SFA starter Erich Lehmann committed an error, allowing Josh Page to reach first base. Page was then out at second on a fielder's choice to second base hit by Erich Diedrich that sent Koehnlein to third base. Koehnlein crossed the plate when SFA left fielder Kevin Crabtree misplayed a hit by Brent Parks. Diedrich put the Penguins up 2-0 when Lou Gattozzi hit an RBI groundout to shortstop.
The Lumberjacks, however, did not allow the Penguins to keep the lead for long. Jeff Brewer led off the inning with a walk and stole second before Noel Trevino was issued a free base. Hill then came up and put a hit on the board with a three-run home run to left center field for the 3-2 lead.
In the second inning, Chris Smith scored the first of his three runs when Trevino hit a center field single to put SFA up 4-2.
The Penguins came back with a run of their own in the fourth. Parks led off with a left field base hit and advanced to second on Tom Clayton's one-out single. Eric Marzec hit a single to left field for the RBI and to bring YSU back within one, 4-3. On the same play, Clayton tried to tie the score, but was out at third on the 7-6-2-1-5 relay throw.
After YSU closed in on SFA, Smith distanced the Lumberjacks' lead with his third home run of the year, an 0-1 solo shot to left center field.
The Lumberjacks kept the pace in the sixth inning when Smith was issued a base on balls and proceeded to steal second. He scored his third run of the game - a season high - on Jeff Brewer's double down the left field line. With Brewer on second and a new Penguin reliever on the mound, Hill was at the plate with two out and hit his second home run of the game over the left field wall to give SFA an 8-3 lead.
The Penguins scored a run in each the seventh and ninth innings and the Lumberjacks tacked on one more in the seventh for a final score of 9-5.
Hill's home runs were his third and fourth of the year and gave him three homers in two days. He ended the day with two hits in five at-bats with five RBI and two runs scored. Smith also had two hits Sunday, with three runs scored and one RBI. Trevino had one hit, enough to extend his hitting streak to eight games, and scored one run and drove in one.
Lehmann made his fifth start of the season, pitching five complete innings and striking out two. He scattered six hits and gave up three runs, one earned. It was the fourth time in five games that SFA's starting pitcher has not issued a walk.
The win moved the Lumberjacks record to 6-8 on the season. SFA is now 4-0 at home. The Penguins fell to 0-3 on the year.
The Lumberjacks return to the field Friday when they take on Texas-San Antonio in non-conference action in Edinburg, Texas.
-SFA-
