Home like the road for YSU

March 26, 2016 at 12:09a.m.

Offensive, defensive woes plague Penguins in defeat

By STEVE WILAJ

NILES

Friday afternoon marked Youngstown State’s first home game of the season, but it brought the same inconsistencies the Penguins have battled on the road so far in 2016.

In the opening contest of a three-game series with Milwaukee, YSU squandered an early lead and fell to the Panthers, 10-3, at Eastwood Field to drop to 5-13 overall and 0-4 in the Horizon League. The Penguins led 2-0 through four frames, but were done in by two big innings for Milwaukee (8-11).

“It’s typical of what the early part of the season has been,” fourth-year head coach Steve Gillispie said. “We’ve got to find ways to keep those crooked numbers straight and keep innings minimized.”

YSU scored two runs in the first inning when Shane Willoughby walked with the bases loaded, followed by an RBI single by Kyle Benyo. YSU left the bases loaded, though, as Panthers starter Brian Keller escaped with minimal damage despite throwing 47 pitches in the frame.

“We had their pitcher on his heels and then we let up and let him take control back,” Benyo said of Keller, who went on to last six innings and earn the victory. “We didn’t take advantage of the first inning and should have added on.”

Milwaukee then took the lead in the top of the fourth, helped by a costly Penguins miscue.

With runners on first and second and no outs, the Panthers’ Luke Meeteer pushed a weak grounder to second baseman Web Charles, who mishandled it before throwing past Andrew Kendrick at first base. The double-error brought home one run, while Milwaukee tacked on two unearned runs later in the frame on a Nick Unes single and Cole Heili sacrifice fly.

The Panthers then took control of the contest when they boosted their lead to 7-2 with a four-run seventh inning.

King exited the contest after the first two runners reached. Freshman Joel Hake (Ursuline) relieved and allowed an RBI single to Eric Solberg, followed by a run-scoring wild pitch, a Dalton Varsho sac-fly and a Meeteer RBI double.

The final line on King, who dropped to 0-3 (4.66 ERA) went: six innings, five runs (three earned) on six hits and 103 pitches.

“He pitched fairly well,” Gillispie said. “It was a couple of mistakes and hiccups. If we can do something offensively a little more to keep adding to the lead, it would take some pressure off of him to be perfect.”

YSU, which entered hitting just .206 as a team, collected nine hits, but couldn’t string many together. The freshman Benyo (an Austintown native) went 4 for 4 and is hitting a team-high .333, while senior Gerrad Rohan (South Range graduate) went 2 for 4 and is second at .317.

“We just don’t seem to hit together,” Gillispie said. “It’s something I think that’s coming around. We’re getting a lot of guys to that 60-70 at-bat mark, which is when guys start getting settled in and more confident.”

YSU finishes its series with Milwaukee today with games at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Jeremy Quinlan (Brookfield grad, 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA) gets the ball in the first contest, while Colin Floyd (1-2, 7.20 ERA) will start the second.

“I like how [Quinlan] matches up against their lineup, some of the guys we saw today,” Gillispie said. “Hopefully that should lead to some success.”