YSU extended its winning streak to five straight games at Cene Park.

YSU extended its winning streak to five straight games at Cene Park.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- Sometimes actions speak much louder than words. At least it was that way for the Youngstown State baseball team Wednesday afternoon.
YSU coach Mike Florak started many of the team's younger players in a non-conference matchup with Malone College, but things didn't work out as the Penguins fell behind 4-0.
Florak brought in some of his veteran players in the late innings, thinking they would show the youngsters how it's done. And he was right.
YSU scored seven runs in the eighth inning, rallying for a 7-4 victory to extend its winning streak to five straight games at Cene Park.
"We wanted to give some of the young kids a chance to play, but we didn't see what we hoped we would see," said Florak.
The Penguins (9-11) had four hits in the eighth, including a two-run double by redshirt freshman Tom Clayton, an RBI double by redshirt freshman Dustin Wachter and some help from the Pioneers' defense to win for the eighth time in their last nine games.
Clayton and Wachter, who have been starters all season, came off the bench to spark the rally, which also included a pair of singles by sophomore John Koehnlein, one an RBI single, as the Penguins sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.
Clayton delivers
Clayton's double brought in the go-ahead run as he ripped a shot down the right-field line.
"I just went up there looking for a good pitch to hit," Clayton said. "We were behind and I just went up there and did what the coaches have been telling us to do all year long."
The Penguins could do little offensively early in the game, while Malone touched YSU starter Chuck Schiffhauer for single runs in the third and fifth innings.
Schiffhauer walked a pair of batters in the third before giving up an RBI single to Josh Spencer and then the Penguins' only error of the game came in the fifth which led to the second Pioneer run.
Malone went up 4-0 with two more runs in the eighth on only one hit, a sacrifice fly and a passed ball.
Then in the bottom of the eighth the Penguins came to life.
Koehnlein, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games and 25 of the last 26 dating back to last season, opened the inning with a single.
Junior Erich Diedrich walked and senior Brent Parks reached on an error to load the bases and freshman Ryan Dunlap walked to force in the first run.
Junior Mike Turjanica then hit a dribbler back to the mound, but pitcher Jake Booth threw wild to the plate allowing both Diedrich and Parks to score.
Junior Josh Page then grounded back to Booth, who threw home to get Dunlap at the plate for the first out.
Clayton scores both runners
With runners at the corners, Clayton drilled a shot down the right field line scoring both runners and Wachter followed with a double to right-center scoring Clayton. Koehnlein then got his second hit of the inning to score Wachter.
"This team now has some games under its belt and they are much more comfortable out there," said Florak. "I just love these guys, they all want to win so bad and they are so willing to learn just what it takes to do that."
YSU senior Andy Svitak came on to pitch the ninth inning and struck out three of the four batters he faced to get the save. The victory went to freshman Cory Hornyak (1-0) who came on in relief of Schiffhauer in the sixth.
Diedrich, who entered the game in the sixth, singled in his first at bat to extend his hitting streak to 14 straight games.
The Penguins will be in action this weekend as they return to Horizon League play at UIC with a single game Friday and a doubleheader Saturday. They will return home next Tuesday for a non-conference game with Duquesne at Cene Park at 3 p.m.
mollica@vindy.com