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YSU softball can learn from split
Penguins take series opener, fall in nightcap
By BOB ETTINGER
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State softball coach Brian Campbell prefers to focus on the positive and learn from the negative.
On the positive side, the Penguins took the first game of a doubleheader with Horizon League rival Wright State, 2-0. On the down side, YSU has plenty it can learn from in surrendering an eight-run inning in a 14-6 loss in the nightcap at Covelli Sports Complex.
“[The Raiders] did a good job squaring up the ball in that inning,” Campbell said. “Sometimes you’ll have that. That’s part of this game. We’ll learn from what we can learn from. We played well in the first game. In the second, we ran into a bit of trouble. It’s a learning process. We’ll take what we can learn from today and move into tomorrow.”
The Penguins (21-21, 9-3) took a 2-0 lead in the second game on a second-inning single from Dani Dadig and a throwing error on the play.
“I was just trying to put the ball in play,” Dadig said. “I wanted to move my teammates into scoring position. I wanted to move the runners and rely on my teammates behind me to hit them in.”
Lexi Zappitelli’s home run over the left field fence made it 3-3 in the third. Grace Cea blasted a two-run double to right-center and Tatum Christy brought in a run when she reached on an error in the fourth to make it 6-3 in favor of the Penguins.
Wright State (17-26, 4-10) answered with an eight-run fifth. Seven of those runs were scored with two outs to give the Raiders an 11-6 advantage. They scored three more in the seventh.
Dadig had a career-high three hits, including a triple, to lead the Penguins and Cea chipped in with two hits.
“It’s definitely exciting [to have a three-hit day],” Dadig said. “I’ve been struggling. I’m coming back from an injury last semester and I’m still working through it. It was a great day at the plate, but obviously, I want the win to end the day.”
Addy Jarvis recorded her sixth shutout in the opener behind a five-hit, 10-strikeout performance. It was the sixth outing in which she’s fanned at least 10 batters.
“She got in a good groove,” Campbell said. “She was able to keep them off-balance. There were some good defensive plays when they had some runners on and we were able to keep them from crossing the plate.”
Jarvis, a freshman, is tied for fourth in shutouts in a season and is ninth all-time in career shutouts.
Cea homered for a 1-0 lead in the fourth.
“That was a great at-bat,” Campbell said. “She saw the ball well, turned on it and was able to put it over the fence in left field.”
Later in the inning, Maddi Lusk reached on an error, worked her way to third and scored on a suicide squeeze with Alex DeLeon getting the bunt down.
“It was a great thing for Maddi to get on base and allow Alex to put the squeeze on. There are a lot of times bad happens — the ball gets up into the air, things like that,” Campbell said. “[DeLeon] did a good job putting it on the ground. She was able to sacrifice herself to get the run across.”