YSU roundup

BASEBALL

Califano’ has 3 hits in loss to Akron

Niles

Youngstown State’s Frank Califano continued to swing a hot bat with three hits on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough as the Penguins baseball team lost to Akron, 4-2, at Eastwood Field.

Shane Willoughby also had three hits for the Penguins. Eight of YSU’s 11 hits came from the top four spots in the batting order.

In the first inning, Akron put two runs on the board when Billy Salem and Jared Rohan had back-to-back RBI singles. The two runners who scored, Mason Mamarella and Brian Lees, reached on a walk and hit by pitch.

YSU quickly answered back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 2-2. Califano singled through to the right side and stole second, and the Penguins had runners at the corners after an error on Lorenzo Arcuri’s bunt.

Alex Larivee plated Califano with an infield single, and the Penguins had the bases loaded with nobody out following a bunt single by Willoughby. But Akron starter Josh Lapiana escaped with allowing just one more run. He struck out Brent Gillespie, and the run came on Dominic Farmina’s fielder’s choice.

YSU starter D.J. Carr allowed two runs on seven hits in three innings in a no-decision, and the loss was charged to Jared Wight, who dropped to 3-5. Lapiana went six innings and allowed one earned run on eight hits in the win.

SOFTBALL

Mikovich’s walk-off helps Penguins split

YOUNGSTOWN

Freshman Cali Mikovich had three hits and drove in the game-winning run with a single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Youngstown State softball team to a 4-3 win over St. Bonaventure in game one of a doubleheader at the YSU Softball Field.

The Penguins lost the nightcap, 13-7.

Trailing, 3-1, in the seventh inning of the opener, the Penguins scored three runs. Freshman Kelly Thompson-Cappadocip led off the inning with a single and junior Katie Smallcomb was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. After a Kayla Haslett sacrifice bunt, Sarah Dowd’s fielder’s choice plated pinch-runner Hannah Lucas to get the Penguins within one, 3-2.

Brittney Moffatt, singled to center, but Dowd was caught between second and third and tagged out in a run down.

With runners on second and third, an intential walk to junior Miranda Castiglione loaded the bases and a walk to Alexandria Gibson tied the game at 3-3 and set up Mikovich’s heroics.

Staff report