YSU sweeps Oakland at home

Staff Report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown State softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep over Horizon League foe on Saturday at the Covelli Sports Complex.

The Penguins (7-17, 2-0 Horizon League) defeated the Golden Grizzlies (7-13, 0-2), 4-2 and 8-4.

In the opener, Mathews graduate Addy Jarvis struck out a career-high 13 and allowed just two hits to pick up her fifth win.

Sophomore Yazmine Romero went 3-for-4 while junior Elizabeth Birkbeck had a two-run home run and sophomore Milena Lacatena added a solo blast.

The Penguins had a 1-0 lead when freshman Grace Cea plated Dani Dadig on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.

Oakland took the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth, but Birkbeck and Lacatena hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom half of the frame to regain the lead. Tatum Christy singled up the middle to lead off the frame and scored on Birkbeck’s first home run of the year.+

In the nightcap, Cea went 4-for-4 and scored three runs while Lexi Zappitelli’s hit a three-run home run to lead the Penguins offense.

Oakland scored twice in the top of the first inning, but the Penguins knotted the game in the bottom of the third on run-scoring singles by Cea and Christy.

Youngstown State opened up the game with a five-run fourth inning highlighted by Zappitelli’s home run.

Alex DeLeon doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by Nikki Saibene. After Romero singled, Zappitelli crushed a 3-1 pitch over the center-field fence to give the Penguins a 6-2 lead. The Penguins also added an unearned run to take a 7-2 lead into the fifth inning.

Oakland cut in the Penguins’ advantage with two runs in the top of the sixth, but Birkbeck’s single to left-center field in the bottom half scored Cea and recaptured a four-run advantage.