Softball team splits twinbill with Akron


By Pete Mollica

CANFIELD — Youngstown State’s softball team put together a classic victory Tuesday in the opening game of a doubleheader against Akron at McCune Park.

It was a pitching duel with YSU’s Cheryl Cale coming out with a 2-1, three-hit victory that saw the Penguins score the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Then the two teams played a second game. Akron (27-19) won the nightcap 13-7, which had 23 hits and 11 errors. Six of the errors were by the Penguins, which gave the Zips 10 runs in the final two innings.

For Youngstown State (7-31), the victory snapped a six-game losing streak.

“The first game was a good solid game, with some outstanding pitching and we were able to take advantage of their mistake at the end to pull out the win,” said YSU coach Brian Campbell.

“The second game could be summed up on the final numbers on the scoreboard, six errors for us and five for them,” he added.

“When you put up a win like we did the opener against a team like Akron, which is one of the better teams in the Mid-American Conference this year, it shows that we have made some progress,” Campbell said.

Though Cale’s pitching was the difference in the opener, her counterpart, Andrea Arney, was just as effective. Arney, a freshmen, allowed three hits, while striking out nine, and the winning run was unearned.

The Penguins made three errors in the first game, and one of those led to Akron’s only run in the fourth inning.

YSU senior Allyse Ledford gave Cale an early lead with a solo home run in the third inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Kim Klonowski led off with a double to left field, and Melanie Conklin came in as a pinch runner.

Freshman Jordan Ingalls popped up to third base trying to bunt Conklin over to third for the first out, and then Kristen Philen hit what looked like a routine ground ball to short stop, where Sarah Earley bobbled the ball, allowing Conklin to reach third. Earley then picked up the ball and threw to first base to try and get Philen, but the throw was low and got away from Crystal Hernandez, allowing Conklin to come around and score the winning run.

Though the six errors were definitely a low point for the Penguins in the second game, junior outfielder Autumn Grove was definitely a high spot.

She tied a couple of YSU records by hitting two home runs in back-to-back appearances in the fifth and sixth innings and then added a two-run single in the seventh to drive in six runs in the game.

“I had been struggling at the plate recently, so hopefully this means that I’m coming around now.” said Grove.

Cale also started the second game and made it through five innings before being replaced by Erin Schindler in the sixth. Cale, now 6-16 on the season, allowed 10 hits and nine runs. Five of them were earned.

The Penguins are scheduled to play a doubleheader Thursday at St. Francis, Pa., and then travel to Indianapolis for a three-game series with Butler on Saturday and Sunday.

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