Penguins suffer 4-3 setback at Akron

By Pete Mollica

YSU’s baseball team had 10 hits but not when they needed them most.

AKRON — All first-year Youngstown State baseball coach Rich Pasquale asks of his team is to get better each and every game.

Wednesday afternoon the Penguins played better, but just couldn’t pull out a victory, as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the University of Akron at Lee Jackson Field.

The Penguins (5-12) outhit the Zips 10-6, but didn’t come up with the key hits when they needed them, while Akron (11-8) took advantage of every opportunity it had and a couple that were presented by the Penguins.

“I want us to be competitive and have a chance to win and that’s what we got today, we just didn’t pull it out,” said Pasquale.

“We outhit Akron, but give them credit, they made the most of their six hits and we helped them some with four walks, but we were right in it until the final out.”

The Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but freshman starter Paul Klein, who retired the first six Zips in order, had trouble finding the plate in the third and issued three walks, two to open the inning that enabled Akron to tie the score.

In the fourth he allowed three of the four hits he gave up and Akron scored two more runs to take the lead.

Sophomore pitcher Corey Vukovic of McDonald came on with two outs in the fourth and got out of the inning and then retired the next six before allowing his only hit to lead off the seventh. Vukovic fanned the final two batters he faced and freshman Cody Dearth retired the Zips in order in the ninth.

“Phil [Klein] got himself into a jam with the two walks to start the third,” Pasquale said. “He’s a youngster and he’s going to be a good one for us.

“I can’t say enough about Corey [Vukovic]. He just gave us another outstanding effort and Cody Dearth, a lefty we brought in to face their left-handed batters in the ninth, was equal to the task.

“We’re not going to win them all, but it’s games like these where we have the opportunity that we have to find a way to win them,” Pasquale added.

Sophomore Anthony Munoz continued his hot bat as he led the Penguins with three hits, including two doubles, while freshman Joe Iacobucci followed up his four-hit performance Tuesday, with two more hits, including a double. Sophomore Anthony Porter also had two hits for the Penguins.

Former Canfield High standout Drew Turocy, a freshman, started his 16th straight game for the Zips. He went into the game as the team’s top hitter with a .364 average. He went hitless in three official trips, but did drive in the Zips’ second run with a sacrifice fly.

Turocy and his brother Frank, a junior pitcher, are both 3-1 on the mound for the Zips this year.

Drew Turocy also added some suspense to the game’s final out when he slipped on a wet field going after a fly ball by Porter, but got up in time to make the catch. The Penguins had a runner on third with two outs.

YSU opened the scoring in the second inning as Cory Hornyak singled with two outs and David Leon walked. Munoz then doubled to left field scoring Hornyak.

In the third Iacobucci doubled to right-center, went to third on Porter’s single to right and scored on Tom Clayton’s sacrifice fly.

The Zips tied it in the third on Kevin Haas’ single and Turocy’s sacrifice fly and took the lead in the fourth on a two run single by Phil Bednar.

The Penguins will play a three-game series at Western Kentucky beginning with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. They return home April 1 to play Bowling Green, but it hasn’t been determined whether the game will be at Eastwood Field or Cene Park.

mollica@vindy.com