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Big fifth inning lifts Penguins over Oakland
YSU’s baseball team wins its first conference series of 2015
By StevE wilaj
NILES
As Youngstown State outfielder Alex Core stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and no outs, he already made up his mind.
Thanks to a quick meeting with Penguins head coach Steve Gillispie just moments earlier, the freshman lefty decided he would be aggressive against Oakland’s Nate Green.
“Before I went up to bat, Coach G called the hitters together to say that [Green]’s going to be coming quick on the fastball, so be ready,” Core said. “So I knew I was swinging at one of the first couple fastballs I got.”
Core did just that, yanking a fastball down the first base line for a double that cleared the bases and keyed YSU’s six-run fifth inning. The Penguins used that outburst to defeat the Golden Grizzlies, 7-6, Friday afternoon at Eastwood Field.
“It was big. We’ve had some opportunities to knock in runs and it was good to see that go our way today,” Gillispie said. “We talked about being more aggressive than we’ve been in the past with those kinds of situations. Alex was and he got the ball inside the bag and down the line and we turned the momentum of the game.”
YSU (7-17, 3-9 Horizon) took a 5-2 lead on Core’s three-run double.
The Penguins trailed, 2-0, entering the fifth, but Frank Califano and Jason Shirley each notched RBI singles to knot the score. Alex Larivee then bunted for a single to load the bases and set up Core’s big hit.
“It was down-and-in and I just pulled it down the line,” Core said. “It felt real good. I knew my teammates were behind me the whole time and counting on me, but I’m not nervous at the plate.”
Brent Gillespie’s RBI single capped the big fifth inning. YSU then added another run in the seventh for a 7-3 lead when Cole — who finished 2 for 4 — stole third and scored on a throwing error.
However, Oakland (5-18, 3-8) fought back and scored two seventh-inning runs on a two-run single by Zach Sterry. YSU reliever Josh Fitch was able to limit the damage after the Golden Grizzlies loaded the bases with no outs.
“The two popups were big,” Gillispie said. “That’s one of the reasons we went to him in that role is because he has some velocity that we thought could beat their bats. He made some quality pitches.”
Anthony Konders closed it out from there, as he worked two innings of relief to earn the save. Oakland scored a run in the ninth, but it came on a double play ground ball after two singles started the inning.
Joe King (1-0) earned the victory for YSU. He allowed one run in two innings as he followed lefty Austin Lujano, who worked a scoreless inning of relief. Starting pitcher DJ Carr lasted three innings and allowed two runs on three hits.
With the victory, YSU — which is off until Tuesday when it hosts Canisius at 5:30 p.m. — won its first conference series of the season.
“It’s definitely a step forward,” Core said. “We’ve been struggling a bit early in the season, so hopefully it’s all good from here.”