YSU splits a pair at Rebel Games

Staff report

ORLANDO, Fla.

Senior Cheryl Cale struck out four, scattered seven hits and allowed just one run in a complete-game effort to lead the Youngstown State softball team to an 8-1 victory over Fairfield on Monday at the Rebel Games.

The Penguins lost to Sacred Heart, 5-4, earlier in the day.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Penguins (3-7) used a five-run third inning sparked by two-run doubles by both junior Kim Klonowski and sophomore Kristen Philen to take a 5-1 lead.

In the top of the seventh, junior Kristina Rendle led off with a triple and scored on a single by sophomore Jordan Ingalls, who went 3-for-4. The Penguins added two unearned runs later in the inning.

Klonowski went 2-for-3 with two doubles while Philen added a single.

Against Sacred Heart, the Penguins trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth but rallied with a four-run frame to take a 4-3 edge. Rendle singled, moved to second when Klonowski reached on an error and scored on Vicky Rumph’s single. Senior Autumn Grove then hit her third home run of the season to put YSU up 4-3.

Sacred Heart’s Liz Tsipouras answered with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.

YSU plays Saint Louis and South Dakota at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, today.