YSU softball team sweeps Oakland

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Senior Maria Lacatena hit two home runs and junior Hannah Lucas went 4 for 4 to lead the Youngstown State softball team to an 8-1 win in game two of a doubleheader sweep against Oakland on Friday afternoon a the YSU Softball Field. The Penguins won the opener, 4-1.

The Penguins, who have won four straight and five of the last six games, improve to 10-17 overall and 2-0 in the Horizon League. Oakland falls to 7-12 overall and 0-2 in the league.

Lacatena belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to put the Penguins up 3-0, and hit a solo homer, her sixth of the season, in the bottom of the third to give YSU a 5-0 lead.

After the Golden Grizzlies scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Penguins answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Demi Ann Patonis and Lucas each singled with two outs and junior Cali Mikovich singled up the middle to plate Patonis from third. Lucas scored from third on a throwing error when Mikovich stole second.

Junior Kelly Thompson-Cappadocio’s runs-scoring single in the bottom of the fifth scored pinch-runner Alexa Schmidt with the game’s final run.

Sophomore Paige Geanangel (2-2) tossed her second straight complete game and scattered seven hits while not allowing a walk.

In the opener, freshman Maddi Lusk (6-7) threw a six-hitter with five strikeouts to pick up her third straight win and went 2-for-3 at the plate in the 4-1 win.

Leading 1-0 through three-and-a-half innings, the Penguins plated three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to put the game out of reach. Alex Gibson singled up the middle to plate Lusk and Lucas’ two-run single up the middle scored Gibson and Stevie Taylor, who singled to left field.

The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies conclude their three-game series at 1 p.m. today.