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Youngstown State senior Haley Thomas rounds first base on her way to second during the first game of a doubleheader against the University of Illinois-Chicago on Sunday at McCune Park in Canfield. The Penguins split with the Flames, dropping the first game 11-8, but winning the nightcap 9-7. Thomas went 4-for-8 on the day to tie the team’s single-season hits record of 64 set by Amanda Berry in 2003.
YSU softball knocks off UIC to stay in league tourney hunt
By Ryan Buck
CANFIELD
With a 9-7 win Sunday afternoon at McCune Park, the Youngstown State softball team earned a series split with Illinois-Chicago.
The Penguins (27-16-1, 11-9 HL) and Flames (25-24, 11-8) put on an offensive slugfest, displaying two of the top offenses in the Horizon League and four of its top 10 hitters. Both teams are looking to secure spots in the six- team conference tournament in two weeks.
Senior right fielder Jordan Ingalls, in her last Horizon League appearance at home, went 3 for 4 with two RBIs to lead the Penguins in their game two victory.
“Senior Day was awesome and I wouldn’t have changed a thing being with my teammates, but at the same time we’re just looking to get into the conference tournament,” Ingalls, the Bolivar, N.Y., native said. “I got everything I wanted this weekend, but we have another weekend to play and then, hopefully, the conference tournament.”
The Penguins jumped on the Flames early with three first-inning runs. Ingalls singled home leadoff hitter Haley Thomas with the first run of the game. Sarah Gabel’s one-out single scored Ingalls and Caroline Krombach for a 3-0 lead before the two powerful offenses traded runs the rest of the afternoon.
UIC rallied in the third. Three Flames singles, aided by two of the seven YSU errors in the game, led to two runs.
Ingalls added another YSU run in the bottom half of the frame when she scored on a Kristen Philen single to push the lead to two.
The Flames tied the game at 4 the following inning when pinch-hitter Kelsey Sturgeon drilled a double to the right field fence, bringing in Melinda Macias and Natalie Hernandez.
“It was two teams slugging it out offensively for the most part,” said YSU coach Brian Campbell. “We worked hard going into it to slow them down and they worked hard to slow us down.”
With Ingalls and Vicki Rumph on base and two- outs, Samantha Snodgrass gave the Penguins the lead they would not relinquish. She drove Devin Miller’s inside fastball over the left-field wall for a 7-4 YSU advantage.
“She kept pitching me inside all game so I just sat inside and there it was,” Snodgrass said. “I was just hoping, praying that it was going over.”
UIC closed to within 7-6 before YSU’s Kristen Philen and Ingalls drilled solo home runs in the late innings to round out the YSU scoring.
Hana Somogyi picked up the save in relief of Kayla Haslett.
“I think it was big for us to get the split for ourselves and the four seniors at home to get that last one,” Campbell said. “It’s nice to be on the other side of that and get that win in the second game.”
The Flames took the remainder of game one 11-8, which had been postponed Saturday.