HORIZON LEAGUE SOFTBALL Cleveland State sweeps YSU in twinbill

The losses knocked the Penguins out of second place.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANFIELD -- It was not a good night for the Youngstown State softball team.
The start of Thursday's doubleheader against Cleveland State was delayed 90 minutes as the teams waited for a second umpire to arrive.
Once the game began the Penguins may have wished it didn't, as Cleveland State romped to a 10-0, five-inning victory in the first game, then rallied for a 4-1 win and a sweep of the Penguins at McCune Park.
The doubleheader loss was a costly one for the Penguins, who went into the day with a slim lead over CSU for second place in the Horizon League standings and the second seed in next week's tournament.
Today, YSU (28-18, 7-5 HL) is in third place and even with a sweep in this weekend's three-game series with Butler can finish no higher.
Cleveland State finished with a 13-6 record in the league and is assured of finishing with a higher winning percentage than YSU.
"It's disappointing because we were in the driver's seat going into today," YSU coach Christy Cameron said. "We needed to take care of some things and we didn't do that.
"Now all you can do is take those things and learn from them and come out and get ready for the next game," Cameron said.
The Penguins got to see more of CSU sophomore pitcher Grace Luginbuhl than they wanted to.
Luginbuhl (14-9) was the winning pitcher in both games, blanking YSU in the five-inning opener, then pitching the final five innings of the nightcap in which she retired all 15 batters.
In the opener, the Vikings' Anna Hubert gave Luginbuhl all the support she needed in the first inning with a grand slam.
CSU added six runs in the third inning on just four hits, including a bases-loaded double by Luginbuhl that brought in three runs and an RBI triple by Michelle Beightol.
The Penguins had a chance in the second inning when they loaded the bases with no outs on consecutive singles by Char Kudlock, Kiisha Warfield and Amber Smith, but came away empty.
Kudlock finished with two of YSU's seven hits in the contest.
Round two
In the nightcap the Penguins got to Cleveland State starter Kortney Spidell for a run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead.
Warfield led off with a single to center and was sacrificed to second by Smith. Erin Moore then reached on an error, moving Warfield. Tiffany Patteson hit a sharp single off the second baseman's glove to score Warfield.
Luginbuhl came in to pitch in the third inning and the Penguins didn't get a ball out of the infield until the final out when Moore flied out to left.
Freshman Karlie Burnell got through the first four innings without any real trouble, but in the fifth, with one out, she walked Michelle Nicholas.
Shannon Graves sacrificed her to second and then Beightol tripled into the right-center gap, scoring the tying run.
Spidell followed with an RBI single and Hubart drove her home with a double to right field.
YSU plays Butler in a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. at McCune Park and winds up the regular season with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m.