YSU baseball: Penguins’ rally comes up short

Staff report

Niles

Youngstown State had the potential tying run at the plate in the eighth inning, but four two-out runs by Kent State proved to be the difference in a 5-2 victory by the Golden Flashes at Eastwood Field on Wednesday.

After falling behind 5-0, the Penguins (8-22) scored a pair of runs, and with two outs in the eighth inning had Dan Hurlimann at third and Jonathan Crist at first.

Armani Johnson hit a fly ball to deep left on a 2-1pitch to end the inning.

YSU held the Golden Flashes (22-10) scoreless for the final six innings. Starter Blake Aquadro pitched five innings, allowing all five runs. However just two of the runs were earned.

In the final four innings, Robert Switka, Cody Dearth and Kevin McCullouh scatterd five hits and struck out three while holding KSU off the scoreboard.

Ryan Mace earned the victory for the Golden Flashes, who have won 11 straight games.

David Leon had two of the Penguins’ six hits.

The Penguins picked up their first run in 15 innings against Kent State this year in the bottom of the sixth. YSU was the beneficiary of a failed pickoff try by Christian Lockett allowed Hurlimann to score.

In the seventh, YSU’s first two batters reached base and Johnson came home with one out on a groundout to second by Joe Iacobucci .