Penguins split pair at Butler

Staff report

INDIANAPOLIS

The Youngstown State baseball team bounced back from an 11-2 loss on Saturday to win 18-6 and take two out of three games from its Horizon League-opening series at Butler.

The Penguins trailed 7-0 after the first inning of the opener, but they showed the mettle to take a 13-1 lead in the finale.

“I’m really proud of the way we were able to respond and keep fighting after that first inning in game one,” YSU head coach Rich Pasquale said. “We have to tip our hat to [Butler starter Mike] Hernandez for holding our offense in check.”

Hernandez held the Penguins to two runs in six hits in eight innings to earn his first win. The other nine Bulldogs pitchers who threw over the weekend allowed 30 runs on 31 hits in 19 innings.

YSU’s Anthony Porter homered in each game and Jacke Healey became the ninth player in school history to have five hits in a game when he went 5-for-7 in the nightcap. Every YSU starter had at least one hit in game two.

The Penguins blew the game open with an eight-run fifth inning that put them ahead 13-1. The Penguins finished with a season-high 19 hits and scored a season-best 18 runs in their 18-6 triumph.

Healey had four RBIs and scored four times. Joe Iacobucci and Porter both had three RBIs, and Derek Carr and C.J. Morris both scored three times.