YSU baseball tops Panthers in finale


May 19, 2019 at 12:00a.m.

Penguins, Milwaukee to meet in tourney

Staff report

Niles

The Youngstown State baseball team scored five runs in the first three innings and added four in the seventh to beat Milwaukee 9-3 on Saturday at Eastwood Field in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The victory sets up a rematch with the Panthers in the opening round of the Horizon League Baseball Championship on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Penguins and Panthers will play in a single-elimination game, which will be hosted by Wright State at Nischwitz Stadium.

Wright State took the top seed followed by Illinois at Chicago, Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky, Oakland and YSU.

The Penguins (13-40, 7-20 Horizon League) led after Drew Dickerson hit a two-run single in the bottom of the first. YSU added three runs in the third to go up 5-0, and Milwaukee scored its three runs over the fifth and sixth innings to cut the margin to two. YSU scored four two-out runs in the seventh inning to create the final margin and end the season 11-11 at home.

Trevor Wiersma went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored, and Drew Dickerson had three RBIs to lead the Penguins. Steven D’Eusanio hit a two-run single with two outs in the seventh.

YSU put pressure on Milwaukee starter Elijah Goodman, who took the loss. Goodman allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in two innings.

YSU starter Marco DeFalco allowed just two hits through the first four innings, but Jack Thelen and Zach Nogalski homered to left on consecutive pitches in the fifth to cut the margin to 5-2. DeFalco left with two outs in the fifth and two runners on, and Brett Souder came out of the bullpen to strike out Joe Vyskocil to get out of the inning.

YSU’s bullpen allowed one run over 41/3 hitless innings. YSU’s relievers retired 10 of the final 11 hitters. Dalton Earich pitched a perfect seventh for the win in relief. Earich’s 11/3 innings pitched were the most among the Penguins’ five relievers.

DeFalco allowed two runs on the two solo homers over 4.2 innings of work in a no-decision.