Northern Kentucky edges YSU, 2-1

Staff report

Highland Heights, Ky.

Jon Snyder tossed four innings of no-hit baseball to lead a strong pitching effort, but the Youngstown State baseball team came up short in a 2-1 loss to Northern Kentucky on Sunday at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.

The contest featured just seven hits between the two teams.

Four Penguins pitchers combined to limit the Norse to two runs on four hits, but a two-run eighth was enough to lift NKU to the series sweep in the opening Horizon League series.

Dalton Earich, Snyder and Brandon Matthews held the Norse scoreless on just two hits over the first seven innings. The game was scoreless until YSU scored a run in the top of the fifth inning, and the score remained 1-0 until Northern Kentucky plated the deciding runs in the eighth.

The four hits allowed by YSU were the fewest by an opponent this season and the two runs matched a season low.

Earich pitched a scoreless first inning before Snyder came on to begin the second.

The freshman right-hander did now allow a hit and struck four over a career-high four innings of work.

He retired the first seven batters he faced and 12 of 14 overall while striking out the side in the third.

Matthews took over in the sixth and dispatched the first six batters he faced before surrendering two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth.

For Youngstown State, Phillip Glasser, Jeff Wehler and Trevor Wiersma singled. Glasser also walked, stole a base and scored YSU’s only run.

The Penguins drew seven walks and stole four bases, but left 12 runners on base. After stealing a season-high five bases on Saturday, YSU has now swiped at least two bags in four straight games.

The Norse got their first three batters aboard in the bottom of the first inning, but Earich struck out Griffin Doersching and got Noah Fisher to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the bases-loaded jam.

Glasser hit a one-out single in the top of the fifth before Wehler and Wiersma reached on back-to-back NKU errors. The second error allowed Glasser to race home for the first run.

The Penguins protected a 1-0 lead until Collin Luty led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to left field that tied the game.

Billy Marion followed with a single and Sam Hedges walked, and both advanced 90 feet on a flyout. Will Haueter was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Doersching was hit by a pitch to bring in the go-ahead run.

The Penguins will play a non-conference contest at West Virginia on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before hosting Oakland in their home opener at Eastwood Field on Friday at 5 p.m.