YSU ATHLETICS

BASEBALL

Penguins drop opener at Tennessee Tech

COOKEVILLE, TENN.

Trevor Wiersma hit his second home run of the season, but a four-run fifth inning helped lift Tennessee Tech to a 7-2 win over the Youngstown State baseball team Friday evening at Bush Stadium.

After the Golden Eagles scored in the third inning, the Penguins responded with two runs in the fourth to move in front 2-1. However, TTU answered with one run in the fourth and four in the fifth to grab the lead for good in the opener of a three-game series.

Youngstown State falls to 0-7 on the season while Tennessee Tech improves to 4-4 and snaps a four-game losing streak.

YSU (0-7) managed three hits. Nic Dye didn’t allow a hit and struck out eight batters in five scoreless innings of relief for the Golden Eagles (4-4). The junior left-hander earned the win to improve to 1-1 on the season.

Wiersma went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run while Drew Dickerson and Lucas Nasonti each collected a base hit.

JD Funk went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Golden Eagles while Andrew Swanson and Jason Hinchman each had two hits as well.

Colin Clark (0-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing five runs on six hits and matching his career-high with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

The Penguins and Golden Eagles will continue their three-game series with a doubleheader today at 2 p.m.

Game 2 will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1. The teams were originally scheduled for 3 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Bowling

YSU beats ranked teams in Hawk Flight

Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

The Youngstown State bowling team beat three ranked teams and finished the first day of the Hawk Flight Invite in sixth place. The event is being held at King Pin Lanes in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

YSU totaled 4,697 pins over its five Baker matches, which was just eight pins behind fifth-place Saint Francis U. The Penguins bowled at least 916 in each set and topped out with a 983 in their second contest of the day.

The Penguins, who were ranked 25th in the most recent NTCA Top 25 Poll, dropped their first match of the day 925-916 to St. Francis Brooklyn as the Terriers struck in the 10th frame in the final game to pull ahead. YSU responded with its highest set of the day in a 983-918 victory over No. 17 LIU Brooklyn. After falling 1,156-949 to No. 8 Fairleigh Dickinson, the Penguins got back to even again with a 931-884 triumph over No. 6 UMES. YSU edged No. 22 Monmouth 918-915 in the final match of the day as Emma Dockery struck in the ninth frame and Nikki Mendez went nine-spare and strike in the 10th.

YSU will compete against LIU Post, No. 10 North Carolina A&T, No. 11 Saint Francis U, Morgan State and No. 12 Delaware State today in traditional play.

Women’s Basketball

Horizon League tourney tickets for sale

Youngstown

Youngstown State will host a quarterfinal in the 2019 Little Caesars Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Beeghly Center. The Penguins will host either Milwaukee or Northern Kentucky in Wednesday’s contest.

Reserved and general admission tickets for the game will be $10 apiece, and YSU students will receive a free general admission ticket with a valid ID. Penguin Club members and season ticket holders will have until Tuesday at 5 p.m. to renew their seats before they are released for sale to the public.

Area high school or youth basketball teams interested in attending the game can contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office for potential complimentary tickets.

For additional information on tickets and promotions, fans can call the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

Staff report