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Moules’ walk-off single lefts YSU baseball team
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Youngstown State outfielder Kris Moules is unable to make a sliding catch during the fourth inning of Thursday’s game against Oakland at Eastwood Field in Niles. The Grizzlies scored a run on the play. However, Moules hit a walk-off single in the ninth to give the Penguins the 5-4 win.
By STEVE WILAJ
NILES
When Youngstown State’s Kris Moules stepped to the plate in the ninth inning Thursday with the potential winning run on second base, he thought one thing.
Redemption.
“I rolled over on one in the seventh inning with guys on second and third when we were down one,” Moules said. “So it was only fitting that I had the chance to redeem myself and pick up my teammates.”
Mission accomplished. The junior right fielder singled home Kevin Hix with one out to give the Penguins a 5-4 walk-off victory over Oakland at Eastwood Field.
“It’s just relieving,” Moules said. “I tried to stay relaxed, take a really deep breath and forget about the past failures. I tried to focus on my success.”
Trailing 4-3 entering the eighth, YSU (7-23, 2-7 Horizon) used a two-out rally to tie the contest. Jason Shirley reached first on a strikeout wild pitch, followed by a single by Mike Accardi that advanced Shirley to third. He then scored on a wild pitch by Oakland’s Nate Lewis.
That set up the Penguins’ ninth inning, which began with a Hix single. Brent Gillespie then executed a sacrifice bunt that pushed Hix to second to set up Moules’ heroics.
“That’s just how you hope to do it and we had older, experienced guys in there,” YSU coach Steve Gillispie said. “They had really good at-bats — especially Moules. They got him out earlier pitching him a certain way, but he made a great adjustment.”
Oakland (6-20, 1-9) took a 3-1 fourth inning lead on RBI singles by Jake Morton and Trent Drumheller. But YSU answered in the next two innings to tie the game.
Alex Larivee tripled home Accardi in the fifth inning before Jake Ross’ RBI single in the sixth scored Moules. Larivee finished 3 for 4, falling a home run shy of the cycle.
“We were battling the whole game,” Larivee said. “We did a good job of having quality at-bats and hitting the ball hard and everybody in our lineup contributed. It was a good team win.”
The Golden Grizzlies immediately regained the lead in the seventh on an RBI single by Mike Brosseau off YSU reliever Jared Wight, but the Penguins’ bullpen was solid once again.
Wight, Josh North and Alex Frey (1-1) combined to allow one run in three innings. Starter Brendon Shoemake allowed three earned runs and seven hits in five innings.
“Our bullpen really did their job,” Larivee said. “Shoe went out and threw a good game and everybody did a good job backing him up. We really pitched well the whole game.”
The win gives YSU its first back-to-back victories of the season after defeating Valparaiso, 12-4, on Saturday.
“This can get us going because of the way we won it,” Gillispie said.