Bagoly, Kent St. ice Penguins

Photo by: David Dermer

Special to the Vindicator

Photo

Youngstown State pitcher Padraic Williams makes the throw to first during Tuesday’s game at Kent State.

By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

KENT

Early in the season, when Kent State sophomore centerfielder Jason Bagoly was going through a batting slump, he tried to focus on what was going right in each game, whether it was something like picking the right pitch to hit, putting a good swing on the ball or making a good play at the plate.

“Whatever happens, I just try to pick out the positives so I don’t have negative feelings on anything,” he said after Tuesday’s 7-0 win over Youngstown State at Schoonover Stadium. “I just kept my head in there and started hitting and hitting well.”

Bagoly, a Fitch High graduate, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs Tuesday to lift his batting average to a season-best .296.

Considering he spent the first 11 games with a batting average below .100 — and was hitting just .175 a week ago — it’s been an impressive jump.

Even better, two of Tuesday’s hits were doubles — one just inside the third base bag, the other to opposite field — which could be a sign the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is starting to regain his power.

“I’m a notoriously slow starter,” said Bagoly, who also threw out Neil Schroth on a stolen base attempt in the sixth. “I’m not sure why, but it takes me a little bit to get into the groove.”

When asked if he has a little extra motivation when he’s playing his hometown school, Bagoly smiled and said, “Yeah. I know most of the guys on the team, and it’s kind of fun to say hi to all my old [summer league] teammates from way back when.”

Kent State sophomore Evan Campbell (West Branch) also had three hits and scored a run for the Golden Flashes (21-10), who have won 10 straight.

Greg Dissinger had two hits for YSU (8-21), while Joe Iacobucci (Boardman) singled to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.

The Penguins managed just six hits — all singles — for their 10th game this season without an extra base hit. It was also their eighth shutout of the season, matching the 1991 school record, which was set in 50 games.

“I think we just threw too many at-bats away,” said Penguins coach Rich Pasquale, whose team hosts Kent this afternoon at Eastwood Field. “I can’t put my finger on it — we’re just not taking good approaches.

“I don’t know if it’s the cold or if they’re not mentally strong when it’s cold like this, but we’ve got to come with a better approach [today], no doubt.”

Padraic Williams (0-1) started and gave up five runs in five innings, although only two of them were earned.

Williams committed two of YSU’s four errors but Pasquale was pleased with the outing.

“Patrick gave us what were hoping from his start,” Pasquale said.

Six Kent pitchers combined on the shutout for the Golden Flashes, who have the best record in the Mid-American Conference and have won regular season or tournament MAC crowns in 10 of the last 11 years.

“There’s a great tradition here,” Bagoly said. “The coaching staff, the players, that’s [baseball] all we eat, breath and sleep here.

“We’re used to winning and when we’re firing on all cylinders, things look pretty good for us.”