By William Staten / The Jambar
Five road games in three different cities were what the Youngstown State University baseball team faced March 24-31. The Penguins took on Eastern Michigan University and the University of Pittsburgh in single games before traveling to Highland Heights, Kentucky, to face Horizon League rival Northern Kentucky University in a three-game series.
YSU kicked off the road trip in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to face Eastern Michigan in a single game. Both the Penguins and Eagles began the game scoreless in the first two innings until a player from Eastern Michigan reached home plate on a fielders’ choice in the bottom of the second.
In the third inning, senior Teddy Ruffner hit a solo home run to left field to put the ’Guins up 1-0. YSU held this lead until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Eagles scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the fifth, senior Garrett Cutting hit a double to left center field, which allowed junior Nathan Beckley to score.
Directly after, senior Brady Shannon hit a double of his own, which sent Cutting to home plate for a score of 3-1. Youngstown State extended its lead with a solo shot by Ruffner and a triple by senior Brayden Kuriger, who also scored on a passing ball.After holding the lead for the entire game, trouble started for the Penguins after the Eagles loaded the bases and scored three RBIs in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, freshman Misael Uriepero scored on a wild pitch to add a seventh run to the Penguins’ score sheet with a 7-4 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Eagles tied the game with a sacrifice fly and a double RBI. The Eagles, who entered the game in the previous inning, retired the Penguins’ side in order. Youngstown State lost the game on a walkoff four-pitch walk on loaded bases 7-8.
The Penguins then traveled to Pittsburgh for their game against the Panthers. Youngstown State opened with two home runs from Beckley and Kuriger before an RBI by Pitt in the first inning threatened to even the score.
In the third inning, the Panthers hit two solo shots of their own to take the lead 3-2 before Beckley tied the game with another RBI in the fifth. Immediately after, Kuriger reached on a throwing error that allowed Uriepero to score for the lead.
Pittsburgh followed up with two more solo home runs in the sixth before junior Ryan Schummer tied the game with a home run. Pittsburgh took the lead again on a fielders’ choice run before freshman Alex Jang launched a two-run home run in the ninth inning to put the Penguins up 7-6.
Pittsburgh singled with a bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning which allowed one run to tie the game. A crucial throwing error by YSU allowed a second walk-off run which lost the game for the Penguins with 7-8.
After the two losses, the Penguins traveled to face Northern Kentucky in a three-game series.
In Game One, Shannon opened with a two-run home run in the first inning before he followed up with an RBI single in the third. NKU responded with a solo home run before Uriepero and Jang both hit RBIs. Shannon then hit a solo shot to extend YSU’s lead to 6-1.
The Norse held the Penguins to zero runs in the final four innings of play while the team hit a pair of two-run home runs and a sacrifice fly RBI to tie the game in the eighth.
The game went into extra innings after both teams went scoreless in the ninth before a walkoff RBI by Northern Kentucky ended the game 6-7.
In Game Two, Ruffner opened with a sacrifice fly RBI which allowed junior Luke Rossi to score. Soon after, a triple hit by Beckley and a single RBI by Rossi put the Penguins up 4-0 to enter the fourth.
After the fourth inning, the Norse again engineered a scoring drought against the Penguins and rallied three RBIs and a score on a wild pitch to tie the game in the ninth. Northern Kentucky won the game on a sacrifice fly RBI with a final score of 4-5.
In the final game, Shannon was walked on loaded bases which allowed Jang to score before a sacrifice fly opened the door for Beckley to reach home plate in the first inning.
NKU fought back across the third and sixth innings, with two RBIs and a wild pitch. Uriepero scored on a wild pitch to tie the game in the seventh before another pitch score and an RBI by NKU put the Penguins down late in the game.
Schummer singled to center field in the eighth inning, which paved the way for Shannon to score, but the Norse closed out the game by preventing the Penguins in the ninth. NKU handed YSU its seventh consecutive loss and fifth consecutive one-run loss.
The Penguins will travel to Franklin, Wisconsin, on April 3 to face Horizon League opponent University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a three-game series.