Baseball Penguins split pair at Niles
On YSU diamonds
NILES — Casey Holland hit a walk-off, two-run double as the Youngstown State baseball team overcame a 6-2 deficit to win 8-7 and split a doubleheader with Milwaukee on Saturday at Eastwood Field.
It was the second walk-off hit in as many weeks for YSU, which lost game one 12-3. Seven of Youngstown State’s 10 hits came in the final four innings.
Holland got a bit of redemption as he was robbed of a potential game-winning double yesterday in the ninth. He finished game two 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and Derek Carr hit a big three-run double in YSU’s four-run eighth.
Milwaukee outhit YSU 15-10 in game two and 20-3 in game one but was still only able to manage a split.
The Panthers led 5-1 through six innings before YSU’s rally.
Pitcher Eric Marzec was beaned on a pitch up and in to lead off the bottom of the eighth. After Joe Iacobucci walked and Jonathan Crist was beaned, the Penguins had the bases loaded without recording a hit.
Lucas Annen came in to relieve starter and Andy Hetebrueg, and Derek Carr greeted him with a three-run triple off the right field wall on an 0-2 pitch. Holland then doubled in Carr to tie the score, but Tim Hoy and Craig Meier were able to work out of the inning without allowing another run.
Cole Kraft drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, and he scored on a wild pitch with two outs to put UWM back on top, 6-5.
Iacobucci started the rally in the ninth with a one-out single, and pinch runner Jason Reitenbach moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Meier struck out pinch hitter Tom Clayton for the second out, and the game was extended when second baseman Andy Gerhartz misplayed Carr’s grounder. Holland then ripped a 1-0 pitch to deep right center to complete the heroics.
Softball
CLEVELAND — The Youngstown State softball team mustered just five hits and dropped a five-inning 9-0 decision to Cleveland State at Viking Field.
The Penguins fall to 6-30 overall and 3-14 in the Horizon League while Cleveland State improves to 25-13 overall and 13-3 in the league.
Cleveland State exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend a 1-0 edge into a 9-0 insurmountable lead.
The Penguins return home to host Akron, Tuesday at 3 p.m. at McCune Park in Canfield.