Marzec’s three home runs lead YSU past WVU, 13-9

The sophomore had four hits, drove in six runs and had 13 total bases.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Eric Marzec hit three of Youngstown State’s four home runs and the Penguins held on to defeat West Virginia 13-9 Monday at Hawley Field.

Marzec’s three round-trippers tied Jim Lipinski’s school record set against Oakland (Mich.) on May 6, 2001, and the sophomore broke the single game record for total bases with 13.

His first home run was a three-run shot in the fourth that put the Penguins (20-30) up 10-0. West Virginia (35-16) stormed back, scoring nine of the next 10 runs and trailed 11-9 after seven innings.

Marzec’s solo homer in the seventh accounted for YSU’s only run during the West Virginia rally, and he hit a two-run homer in the ninth.

Marzec finished 4-for-6 with six RBIs and four runs scored.

Sean Lucas added three hits and two runs, Erich Diedrich scored three times and Joe Iacobucci had three RBIs.

Adam Kalafos earned his fifth win of the year, allowing five runs on seven hits over five innings.

Craig Gillet did not allow a run on four hits in three innings.

“This is a big win for this program,” YSU coach Rich Pasquale said. “Hopefully this will give us some confidence that we can compete and close out games.”

Iacobucci got the Penguins on the board in the first with a two-run double, and his RBI double in the third made the score 4-0. Porter then greeted reliever Ross Fetterly with his first career home run, and Marzec, David Leon and Jason Reitenbach followed with singles to put YSU up 7-0.

Marzec’s three-run homer with two outs in the fourth then gave YSU a 10-0 cushion.

But West Virginia, which entered the game as one of the top offensive teams in the nation with a .347 average, scored all nine of its runs on 11 hits in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Five straight singles to start the fifth, a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly accounted for four runs in the fifth, and Austin Markel homered to start the sixth to cut the lead to 10-5.

Marzec’s led off the seventh with a homer to put YSU ahead 11-5, but another four-run inning for WVU in the bottom half made the score 11-9.

The Penguins play their final home game of the season today at Cene Park against Kent State. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.