YSU baseball splits with Oakland

Sullivan has three hits as YSU baseball team beats Oakland in nightcap

Staff report

NILES

Matt Sullivan went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI to lead the Youngstown State baseball team to a 6-3 victory over visiting Oakland in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader at Eastwood Field.

The Penguins lost the opener 5-3.

Jared Wight (2-2) got the win in the nightcap, pitching four innings of scoreless relief. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out two. Ryan Krokos got his first save, holding Oakland without a hit over 21/3 innings. Josh North started and lasted just 22/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

Shane Willoughby added two hits, two walks, two RBIs and a run for YSU (6-17, 2-9 Horizon League), which scored two runs in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Pinch-hitter Ryan Cordova had the key hit, delivering a two-out, two-run bases-loaded single to right field.

The Penguins added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, snapping a six-game losing streak.

Kevin Hix added three hits and a walk, Jason Shirley had two hits and two runs and Alex Core had two hits as YSU piled up a season-high 17 hits. YSU stranded 13 baserunners while Oakland left 15.

Spencer Marentette and Matt DiLeo each had two hits for the Golden Grizzlies (5-17, 3-7), while Mike Brousseau homered to lead off the game. Collin Gee (0-4) got the loss, giving up two runs on five hits in 22/3 innings of relief.

In the opener, Brousseau had three hits, a run and a RBI to lead Oakland, which scored solo runs in the sixth and the eighth innings after YSU had tied the game with a three-run third inning.

Jason Hager (2-1) went the distance, giving up three earned runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out five.

Brookfield High graduate Jeremy Quinlan (2-4) took the loss for YSU, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits, four walks and four strikeouts. He gave up homers to Brousseau and Marentette.

Alex Larivee had two hits, a run and a RBI for the Penguins, while Hix also had two hits and scored a run.

YSU is in last place in the six-team Horizon League, while Oakland is in fifth. Wright State entered the day a half-game ahead of UIC for first place in the conference.

The final game of the series is scheduled for today at 1 p.m. at Eastwood Field. The Penguins are then off until Tuesday, when they host Canisius.