HORIZON BASEBALL Butler rallies to defeat YSU

The Penguins have to win today to stay alive in the Horizon League tournament.
FAIRBORN -- The Youngstown State baseball team allowed two three-run leads to slip away Friday as Butler scored six unanswered runs in a 9-6 Bulldogs win at Nischwitz Stadium during the second day of the Horizon League Tournament.
With the loss, the Penguins (27-27) play an elimination game today at 2:30 p.m. against Cleveland State.
YSU had leads of 3-0 and 6-3, but the Bulldogs (33-25) came back to tie the game 3-3 in the third and overcame their second three-run deficit scoring four runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Reliever Corey Kugle (2-2) was untouchable, retiring all 13 YSU batters he faced in 41/3 innings.
Justin Banks highlighted the Penguins' offensive effort with a two-run homer and a two-RBI triple, but Youngstown State could not muster anything against Kugle after he entered the game.
Starter knocked out
YSU built its lead back up to three runs and knocked BU starter Luke Behning from the game in the fifth inning. After Behning retired the first two batters, the Penguins peppered him for three straight solid hits.
Charles Schultz singled and scored on a double off the right-field wall by Adam Cox. Banks ripped his third homer of the season over the left-field fence, putting Youngstown State in front 6-3.
But again, Butler came back in the bottom half of the inning to take its first lead of the game and never trailed again.
Jon Freeman and Jeff Brown reached on singles and when Jon Mueller laid down a bunt, Corey Ohalek (6-5) overthrew Jim Lipinski, allowing the two runners to score as Mueller raced to third.
Tie game
Albert singled back up the middle, scoring Mueller and tying the contest 6-6. Tim Marks then scored Albert with the go-ahead run on a single to center.
In the seventh, the Bulldogs tacked on another run when Jared Lowe led off with a single and scored on a double to left by Paul Beck.
For the game, Ohalek pitched 61/3 innings, allowing nine runs -- six earned -- on 12 hits while striking out six.
The Penguins jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first off Behning. With one out, Brandon Caipen reached on an error and scored on a double by Schultz. Cox followed with a walk and Banks belted a triple to left-center, plating both runners to put the Penguins in front 3-0.
Butler escaped more damage when Banks was thrown out at home on a grounder to second by Lipinski. After retiring Jim Phillips to end the inning, Behning retired nine straight hitters before Phillips doubled in the fourth.
The Bulldogs took advantage of two Penguins errors in the bottom of the inning to push across two runs. With two outs, Lowe and Beck crossed the plate for Butler. Lowe scored when a fly ball to right hit off Caipen's glove in right and Beck scored on a ground-rule double by Albert.