Red Flash sweep Youngstown State
By JOhn kovach
kovach@vindy.com
CANFIELD
The Youngstown State softball team was hitting the ball real hard in its home opener Thursday against St. Francis (Pa.) at McCune Park.
However, many of the sharply-hit balls went right to or near St. Francis defensive players who let very little get by them, while the Red Flash also got strong pitching from Megan Layne and Carmen Gurrola who both went the distance and benefited from the defense.
The result was that St. Francis swept a doubleheader from the Penguins, 3-1, in the opener on Layne’s four-hitter, and 4-3 in the nightcap on Gurrola’s three-hitter.
“We had a lot of hit balls right to people. Some of the catches the young ladies made were great. They made a lot of good plays,” said second-year coach Brian Campbell of YSU (5-10) in praise of the St. Francis defense. “Their third baseman [Christina Aulbach] and shortstop [Katelyn McMellen] made some great plays.”
But, “We were right there in the ball game.”
Fourth-year coach Sabrina Lane of St. Francis (5-9) agreed with Campbell while also lauding her team’s fine pitching.
“This was one of our best defensive games all year. We strung together good pitching and defense through two games,” said Lane.
“[McMellen] made some great plays. [Aulbach] still is competing with other players for the [third-base] job and hasn’t won the position as yet.”
But Aulbach caught everything that was hit to her, including a line drive when she had moved up close to the batter and barely had time to get her glove in position.
“[She] had good reaction time there,” said Lane.
Aulbach also had three singles, two of them in the first game.
Lane also singled out left fielder Courtney Francis’ catches.
“[She] saved some runs from scoring,” said Lane.
Kristen Philen slugged a two-run homer in the last inning of the second game, driving in Autumn Grove who had doubled, to pull YSU within 4-3 with just one out.
But Gurrola bore down and retired Amanda Palmore on a line drive and pinch-hitter Sarah Gabel on a ground out.
Taylor Darneille had a double, single and two RBIs and Karlie Miller two singles and two RBIs to lead St. Francis in the nightcap.
In the opener, the Red Flash struck for two runs in the first inning on Paige Smith’s double and Raquel Rugani’s single, and then added a single run in the fifth on Francis’ double.
YSU got its lone run in the sixth on Haley Thomas’ first homer of the year. Thomas also had a single.
Campbell was pleased with YSU’s defense.
“We had some big double plays to keep us in the game. Defensively, we didn’t give up an unearned run. Our defense as a whole has improved,” said Campbell, who thought that pitchers Hana Somogyi, Cheryl Cale and Daniella Chase also pitched well despite giving up 16 hits total.
Somogyi lost the opener on an eight-hitter while Cale and reliever Chase dropped the nightcap also with a combined eight-hitter.
Campbell also lauded Philen.
“Philen has improved from last year,” he said.
YSU next plays three straight road doubleheaders at Dayton on Saturday, Akron on Tuesday and Pittsburgh on Wednesday, before returning home to face Canisius on March 30 in a twinbill at 3 p.m. at McCune Park.