Harless pitches well but YSU falls

Staff report

milwaukee

The Youngstown State baseball team got a strong start from Russ Harless but dropped both games of a doubleheader at Milwaukee, 3-2 and 8-1, on Saturday at Henry Aaron Field.

In game one, all three of Milwaukee’s runs scored in the first inning, and two of those were unearned. Harless did not allow a hit after the second inning, but the Penguins couldn’t muster up enough offense to support him off Milwaukee starter Eric Semmelhack.

Semmelhack struck out 11 batters, including six who looked at strike three. He allowed a leadoff home run to Drew Dosch to start the game, and YSU’s only other run came when David Leon singled in Marcus Heath in the fourth. Dosch finished with three of YSU’s seven hits, but he had two costly errors in the bottom of the first that led to two of Milwaukee’s three runs.

Harless went the distance for the Penguins (4-33, 2-15 Horizon), allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Semmelhack allowed two runs on five hits and five walks in eight innings to improve to 3-5. Jordan Guth allowed two hits in the ninth but recorded his third save.

In game two, the Panthers scored seven runs in the first three innings off starter Ryan Krokos. Paul Hoenecke hit a two-run homer as part of a three-run first, and the Panthers added three runs on four hits in the second. Tell Taylor’s RBI single in the third made the score 7-0.

Leon singled in Heath in the fourth for YSU’s only run of the contest, and Mark Strey brought in Hoenecke with a sacrifice fly in the seventh for the final tally. Leon had two of YSU’s seven hits.

UWM starter Cale Tassi allowed one unearned run on six hits while striking out 10 in seven innings to earn his third win.