Sunday, April 15, 2012
Staff report
VALPARAISO, IND.
After falling to Valparaiso 4-3 in the opener, the Youngstown State softball team scored 11 runs in the first inning of the nightcap but couldn’t hold on, falling 13-12 in a Horizon League doubleheader.
In the first game, the Penguins’ seventh inning rally came up short. The second game ended with Valparaiso scoring 13 unanswered runs and winning on a walk-off single.
In the second game, the Penguins (21-11-1, 5-6 Horizon League) sent 15 batters to the plate and collected eight of their 13 hits to take an 11-0 lead after one-half inning.
They tacked on an unearned run in the top of the second when senior Kristen Philen scored on a Crusader error.
The Crusaders (27-10, 11-0 HL), who were aided by 11 walks, chipped away at the Penguins’ advantage, scoring four in the third, three in the fourth, four more in the fifth and one in both the sixth and seventh innings to complete the improbable comeback victory.
Senior Haley Thomas went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Penguins’ offensive attack while senior Jordan Ingalls and sophomore Samantha Snodgrass each had two hits.
In the opener, the Crusaders scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie.
The Penguins mounted a comeback attempt and scored two runs on Amanda Palmore’s run-scoring fielder’s choice and Ingalls’ RBI-double. The Penguins, though, left the tying run stranded on second base.