Penguins run-rule Raiders in sweep
youngstown
It was a day that really couldn’t have gone much better for the Youngstown State softball team at a time that couldn’t have been much better either.
The Penguins (14-24, 7-7 Horizon League) swept a doubleheader against Wright State (14-23, 9-5) Tuesday at the YSU Softball Complex snapping a stretch of five losses in six games in league play.
YSU won the opener 4-1 behind seven innings from freshman Maddi Lusk on the mound. Lusk struck out four, walked none and hit a three-run home run in the third inning.
The Penguins run-ruled the Raiders, 11-3, in the nightcap when freshman Tatum Christy sent one deep to left, ending the doubleheader in walk-off fashion.
“Especially coming off our last two series this was huge to keep climbing up in the standings for us,” senior second baseman Brittney Moffatt said.
Lusk pitched both games in their entirety and allowed the Raiders few chances in her 13 innings pitched.
“She keeps the ball relatively low which is good for the infield,” Moffatt said. “We get a lot of action when Maddi’s pitching.”
But YSU head coach Brian Campbell said he was most impressed with the offensive output. The Penguins racked up 20 hits in 13 innings and while the Raiders rarely threatened in the outcome, the bats did overshadow four YSU errors in game two.
“I’m really proud of the hitters,” Campbell said. “It’s nice to swing the bats the way we did today. We supported the pitcher and the defense. We overcame our miscues.”
Wright State’s two main pitchers got beaten up in game one. Starter Ashley Sharp gave up four runs in two-and-a-third innings while reliever Ally Russell was mostly effective, pitching the rest of the way giving up just one hit and no runs.
But WSU threw out Russell again for game two and she had no such luck in the second game. Russell failed to record an out, giving up four earned runs to the four batters she faced, allowing three hits and hitting a batter.
Lusk said the team knew what Russell was going to throw after they figured out her rhythm in game one.
“She was pretty much doing the same thing so we knew what was coming,” Lusk said.
Moffatt said putting Russell out there again wasn’t quite what she was expecting, but it was a welcome gift.
“I was surprised they threw the same girl again,” Moffatt said. “Going into the box it gave us a lot of confidence because we knew we were hitting her. It was great the get the runs across early because it definitely made it a lot easier for us.”
It was part of a five-run first inning that answered the quick 2-0 lead the Raiders got in the top of the first. YSU added one in the second on an RBI single by Lusk and two more in the third when Cali Mikovich and Moffatt both singled home runners as well. That was all YSU needed until Christy’s blast to end it.
“I felt like I was in the zone all day but stuff just wasn’t dropping,“ Christy said. “I had no idea even after I hit the home run [that the game was over]. But it was a good feeling.”
While the walkoff was a nice highlight, Campbell was pleased his team wasn’t trying to overhit the ball and crank ever pitch out of the yard.
“It seemed like we got back to what we are,” Campbell said. “You go station to station and 60 feet at a time. Then you have a couple young ladies that square them up and hit them out but I’m excited about the way the offense played. I’ll say it all day long.”
rough homecoming
Ursuline alumna and Wright State junior Macey Gunther was held in check most of the afternoon. Gunther went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in game one and went 1-for-3 in game two. She is hitting .262 this season.