YSU Athletics Mikovich homers twice in win vs. NKU

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Sophomore Cali Mikovich set the Youngstown State single-season home run record and went 3 for 5 with a pair of homers and four runs batted in to lead the Penguins softball team to a 10-3 win over Northern Kentucky in the regular-season finale at the YSU Softball Field on Saturday.

Senior Miranda Castiglione went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and two RBIs, and Kelly Thompson-Cappadocio added two hits to lead the Penguins, who improve to 29-19 overall and 15-7 in the Horizon League.

Freshman Paige Geanangel scattered seven hits with three strikeouts in a complete-game victory to pick up her 16th win of the season.

Mikovich broke a 1-1 tie and tied the home run record of 11 by blasting an 0-2 pitch off the scoreboard in right-center field to lead off the bottom of the third inning. On the very next pitch, Castiglione hammered a solo home to left field to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead and also tied the former single-season home run mark. Sophomore Hannah Lucas followed with a two-run double to center.

Junior Sarah Dowd, who twice tied the old home-run record of 11, added an RBI-bunt single to push the Penguins lead to 7-1.

After the Norse added a run in the top of the fourth,

Mikovich launched her second home run of the game, a two-run blast to center field scoring Thompson-Cappadocio, and gave the Penguins 9-2 edge after five innings.

The Penguins will compete in the 2016 Horizon League Softball Championship, May 11-14, at a site yet to be determined.

Baseball swept

The YSU baseball team dropped two games at Milwaukee, falling to 10-30 overall, 3-14 Horizon League for the season.

Gerrad Rohan went 3 for 5 with three RBIs in the first game, but the Penguins lost 4-3. Joel Hake took the loss when he allowed the go-ahead run in the eighth innings. Joe King allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

YSU was then shutout in the second game, 6-0.

Lorenzo Arcuri, Alex Larivee and Dominic Brown all had two hits for the Penguins.