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Split decision for YSU, Akron softball teams
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After a 21-game road trip to begin the season, the Youngstown State softball team opened their home schedule by splitting a doubleheader against Akron on Tuesday.
Neither game was an offensive slugfest as the Zips (11-13) took the opener 2-0 before the Penguins battled back for a 4-1 win in game two. In total, YSU managed just five hits, but as head coach Brian Campbell said, the timing of the hits is more important than the quantity.
“It’s not about how many hits you have, it’s about taking your opportunities,” Campbell said. “We scored four runs on three hits and those came at clutch times.
“We needed to come up with a couple of those clutch hits in that first game, too.”
Pitching was solid for YSU (6-16) all day. Freshman Maddi Lusk pitched 11 innings, allowed seven hits, three earned runs and struck out nine. She walked three.
“I was working on mostly my curveball and then setting that up for the drop curve,” Lusk said. “I’ve been working hard with that and then I’d mix up a changeup every once in awhile.”
Lakeview alumna and Akron senior Alyssa Nicholas said the offspeed stuff Lusk was dealing threw the whole team off.
“We’re not really used to slow pitching and she threw the ball down a lot which caused us to hit the ball on the ground a lot,” Nicholas said.
At one point in game two, Lusk sat down 15 Zips in a row.
Akron scored early in both games. With two outs in the top of the first in game one, the Zips scratched a run across on a double steal when Nicholas attempted to steal second but eluded the tag in the rundown long enough for leadoff hitter Ashley Sims to cross home plate.
In the second, Anna Tarpley laid down a bunt that YSU third baseman Stevie Taylor couldn’t get to quick enough and Jenna Jones scored final run of the game.
YSU was only able to get a runners in scoring position on two occasions as the bats went cold. The Penguins struck out nine times in the loss.
Akron jumped out to the early lead in game two on another odd play when Sims tried to steal third but Maria Lacatena’s throw was wild and bounced to the dugout, which allowed Sims to scamper home.
“Our baserunning helps us a lot,” Nicholas said. “We’re very fast and aggressive. We steal a lot of bases and when we have runners in scoring position we try to do whatever we can to get them home.
“That second game we just didn’t string enough hits together while on base.”
YSU senior Sarah Dowd came into the game slumping with a .169 batting average, but there was no slump when she launched a ball nearly into the McDonald’s parking lot beyond the left-field fence to give YSU a 2-1 lead.
“She got all of it,” Campbell said.
YSU doubled their score when freshman Elizabeth Birkbeck pinch hit with runners on second and third in the fourth inning. After falling behind 0-2, she sprayed a pop fly that landed in the shallow outfield to bring across two runs in a a big spot.
“I just knew in that situation in a 2-1 ball game, no matter what I had to score at least one run,” Birkbeck said. “I knew it wasn’t solid contact but I knew it was enough to drop in.”
It turned out to be more than what YSU needed to get the win. The Penguins play host to St. Bonaventure on Thursday before Horizon League play resumes with a weekend series against Oakland on Friday and Saturday.
“We’re trying to get that productivity up on the offensive end,” Campbell said. “A few of them are clicking a little bit with that clutch aspect. We’re going to continue to work on it and hopefully we start to be able to push a few more of those runs across.”