YSU | Saturday’s results

SOFTBALL

Penguins take two from Green Bay for sweep

DENMARK, WIS.

Junior Maddi Lusk delivered a two-out run-scoring double in the top of the seventh inning to lift the Youngstown State softball team to a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over Green Bay in game two of a doubleheader. The Penguins (25-27, 13-0 Horizon League) won the opener, 8-0, in five innings and swept the season series from the Phoenix. Head Coach Brian Campbell won his 250th game at YSU. The Penguins trailed 5-1 after four innings but scored two in the fifth, one in sixth and two more in the seventh for the win. Lexi Zappitelli scored the game-tying run on freshman Grace Cea’s two-out double to right-center field. Sophomore Nikki Saibene began the comeback with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to cut the Phoenix lead to 5-3. Lusk also scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth. In the opener, the Penguins scored eight runs on four hits in the top of the fifth inning. After a run-scoring double by Zappitelli and a run-scoring single by Lusk, junior Elizabeth Birkbeck clobbered a two-out grand slam to put the Penguins up 6-0. It was the second grand slam of Birkbeck’s career and she is just the third player in school history to hit multiple grand slams.

BASEBALL

Penguins walk off after D’Eusanio’s sacrifice fly

NILES

Steven D’Eusanio’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly plated Blaze Glenn in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Youngstown State baseball team to a 5-4 victory over Wright State at Eastwood Field. D’Eusanio’s game-winner backed two home runs from Dylan Swarmer and another strong start on the mound from Travis Perry. The Penguins (12-33, 6-14 Horizon) led 4-1 after five innings, held the Raiders to single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and worked out of a jam in the ninth to set up D’Eusanio’s heroics. It was YSU’s third walk-off win of the season, and it even the three-game series with the league-leading Raiders. Swarmer became the first YSU catcher to hit two home runs in a game in 15 years, and he had two of the Penguins’ four hits in the game. Lucas Nasonti and Jeff Wehler also had hits, and Wehler had a key at bat in the ninth that led to the winning run. Kip DeShields, one of five YSU seniors celebrated prior to the game, got the final five outs of the game to earn his third win. He was on the mound for intense moments in the top of the eighth and ninth innings and watched from the dugout as D’Eusanio, a true freshman, gave him the win on Senior Day. With the score tied at 4-4 and the bases loaded in the eighth, DeShields came from behind in the count to strike out pinch-hitter Quincy Hamilton to keep the game tied. The senior righty then allowed a single and a walk to start the top of the ninth but worked out of the jam. Peyton Burdick flied into an 8-4 double play to Nasonti, who threw out Tyler Black trying to advance to second. DeShields then got cleanup batter Seth Gray to foul out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Glenn led off with a six-pitch walk, and Wehler followed with an 11-pitch battle that resulted in another walk. Wehler was down 0-2 in the count and stayed alive by fouling off five two-strike pitches. Bradley Deboutte got pinch-hitter Zach Farrar to strike out trying to bunt, but Glenn stole third to get the winning run within 90 feet. Wright State elected to intentionally walk Drew Dickerson to load the bases, and D’Eusanio hit the second pitch of his at bat to straightaway center to allow Glenn to score easily. The Penguins also had walk-off wins at Eastwood Field against Pitt and Kent State. Three singles led to a run for Wright State in the top of the first, but Perry got a key double play to get out of the inning with minimal damage.

Staff report