May 11, 2008

Game 1 Stats
Game 2 Stats

Contact: Greg Murphy

CHICAGO, Ill. - Cleveland State dropped a pair of games at UIC on Sunday afternoon at Les Miller Field. UIC won the opener, 6-2, before claiming the nightcap, 4-1. The twinbill was delayed for almost four hours due to rain in the Chicago area.

CSU fell to 20-25 overall with the two losses and 9-11 in league play, while UIC improved to 27-19 overall (14-6 HL). The two teams had a three-game series in Lorain, Ohio rained out last weekend.

"We didn't execute the way we needed to and had a couple of miscues that led to runs," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "We are still trying to learn how to win. From the beginning, that half the team came to play and the other half didn't and that is frustrating.

"We got a great pitching performance from Dylan (Henry) in the second game. He threw three pitches well and kept them off-balance, but we bobbled a potential double play ball and misjudged a linedrive for an error. We can't make those mistakes against a team like UIC."

Brad Buell led off the game with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. He came in to score the first run of the game and give the Vikings a 1-0 lead on a dropped fly ball by UIC's leftfielder.

That remained the only run of the game until the fourth when the Flames scored twice. UIC added four more runs in the fifth for a four-run cushion as UIC starter Mike Kool went the distance. He gave up seven hits and two runs while improving to 3-4 this season.

The Vikings added a run in the ninth as Alex Kerins singled to leadoff the inning and came around to score on an RBI groundout by Bobby Cash.

Anthony Sambula started for CSU, going five innings, allowing six runs on six hits with one strikeout. He slipped to 3-2 this season.

Kerins finished 2-for-4 with a run and was the only Viking to record multiple hits.

The nightcap featured two great starting pitching performances as CSU's Dylan Henry went seven innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits while fanning one. He took the loss and fell to 0-3 this season.

UIC's Chris Kovacevich (2-4) earned the win by throwing 6.1 innings. He gave up just one unearned run on two hits, combining with Ada Worthington on a five-hitter.

UIC scored a run in the second and another in the sixth to take a 2-0 lead before CSU sliced the deficit in half with a single tally in the seventh.

Kerins reached on a one out bunt and scored when the next batter, Kyle Bischof, reached on a throwing error from the pitcher. However, that was the only run that CSU could muster in the nightcap.

Kerins was once again the only CSU player with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4, while Bischof, Cash and Travis Miller had one hit apiece.

The Vikings begin their final week of regular season play with a Tuesday (May 13) contest against Duquesne at The Pipe Yard. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.