Clark, Glenn lead YSU baseball team over UIC

Penguins have won

four of their last six

after a 2-21 start

Staff report

NILES

Colin Clark pitched a gem and Blaze Glenn homered as part of a five-RBI night to lead the Youngstown State baseball team to a 7-3 victory over UIC on Friday at Eastwood Field.

Clark held the Flames to one earned run over eight innings as he outdueled the Horizon League’s ERA leader, Jacob Key. Glenn backed him up by going 4 for 4 as YSU won for the fourth time in the last six games.

Phillip Glasser and Lucas Nasonti each had two hits as YSU (6-23, 3-7 Horizon League) registered a season-best 13 hits. Glenn and Glasser combined to go 6 for 7 with two walks and a sacrifice bunt in 10 plate appearances from the second and third spots in the lineup.

Clark had a big moment in the top of the first inning when he held the Flames scoreless after a leadoff triple. With the infield playing in, Clark induced a groundout, foulout and another groundout to strand Glenn at third base.

The Penguins capitalized on Clark’s effort in the bottom half by scoring twice off Key, who came into the game with a 1.93 ERA and allowing just 49 baserunners in his first 511/3 innings. Cameron Murray led off with a single to right and Glasser moved him to second with a sacrifice. Glenn plated the game’s first run with a single to right-center and, following a Jeff Wehlerdouble, scored on Wiersma’s RBI grounder.

UIC (11-12, 6-3) tied the game in the top of the second with the help of a leadoff walk and a YSU error. Alex Dee walked to start the inning, and he scored from first on Chris Papapietro’s single to right field and ensuing two-base error. Papapietro then tied the game with his unearned run that made the score at 2.

The Penguins went right back to work in the bottom of the second inning by sending eight batters to the plate and scoring three times to go up 5-2.

Web Charles made up for his error in the top of the inning with a leadoff single, and Nasonti and Murray drew consecutive one-out walks to load the bases. Glasser singled in Charles with the go-ahead run, and Glenn followed with a two-run single to center that made the score 5-2.

After the single to Papapietro, Clark settled in and retired 10 straight batters before allowing a two-out single in the fifth. UIC got another unearned run in the top of the sixth when Ryan Lin-Peistrup reached on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Glenn hit a two-run home run over the left-field wall in the bottom of the sixth. It was the junior’s third home run of the season, and it gave the Penguins a 7-3 lead. Glenn later walked in the eighth inning to reach base for the fifth time in as many plate appearances.

Clark allowed one earned run on five hits while striking out four batters over eight innings of work to earn his first career victory. Kip DeShields worked the ninth for a save.

The series continues at 3 p.m. today and concludes at noon Sunday.

The Penguins will wear pink jerseys today for breast cancer awareness.