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Penguins add two to winning streak
By charles grove
youngstown
Although Penguins can’t fly, the Youngstown State softball team sure feels otherwise after Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep of Robert Morris that pushed its win streak to eight games.
YSU (15-11) run-ruled Robert Morris 8-0 in six innings in game one and came from behind to take game two, 8-2.
Paige Geanangel picked up wins in both games, pitching a total of 10 innings, bringing her earned run average down from 5.07 to 4.34 by the end of the doubleheader. Her record now stands at 7-5.
Miranda Castiglione went 5-for-7 on the day, knocking in three RBIs and scoring two runs herself.
Horizon League player of the week Cali Mikovich went 4-7, scoring three runs, including the final run to enforce the mercy rule on the Colonials (7-23) in game one.
“It’s exciting for the young ladies to be playing good softball,” YSU head coach Brian Campbell said. “I couldn’t be more excited about the defense and offensively everything’s starting to come together.”
The Penguins clubbed 21 hits between the two games and were further aided by seven Robert Morris errors. Campbell and his team preached their philosophy of just moving runners up one base at a time and it’s paying off during this long win streak.
“We’ve been able to move runners across when needed,” Campbell said. “We’re putting runners in scoring position or stealing a couple of bases. We’re just trying to square up and put the ball in play.”
Brittney Moffatt did just that. The junior came into the doubleheader hitting only .182 but broke out of her slump going 4-for-5 on the day, scoring three runs. Moffatt said she and her team were able to figure out how to time the different pitching styles of Robert Morris hurlers.
“The first pitcher had a lot more speed and a lot of us were behind so I think a lot of us just had to hit it where we could,” Moffatt said. “In the second game, the girl was a little slower so a lot of us were early, but we were spraying the ball all day.”
YSU trailed the Colonials 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth in game two but loaded the bases with no outs. That’s when Maria Lacatena crushed a 2-1 pitch to center field for a grand slam. YSU went ahead 5-2 and never looked back from there.
“I was pretty locked in,” Lacatena said. “Our goal this year is just to move the runner 60 feet so that’s what I was thinking about. When I swung, the ball just took off. When you try to do too much it just hurts you. Just trying to move the runner really helps you out.”
The YSU pitching staff snapped a streak of 27 scoreless innings in game two and Lacatena, the catcher, attributed that to the amount of practice the staff has been putting in.
“They’ve been doing great,” Lacatena said. “They’ve been working very hard this year doing drills or working at bats. They’re doing awesome and I couldn’t be happier.”
After a 5-0 homestand the Penguins travel to Rochester, Mich., to take on Oakland in a Horizon League battle with two games Friday and one game Saturday. First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m.