By William Staten / The Jambar
Glimpses of the Youngstown State University baseball team that took No. 11 Auburn University into extra innings showed once more in Rochester, Michigan, last weekend as the Penguins completed their first series sweep since 2023 against Oakland University on April 17-18.
The Penguins, coming off a seven-game losing streak, set the tone to open Game One with four runs in the first inning. A two-run home run by Oakland narrowed the lead before junior Nathan Beckley extended the lead with his second RBI of the game.
A triple RBI by the Golden Grizzlies tied the game 5-5 before senior Teddy Ruffner scored his second run, and freshman Misael Uriepero scored on a throwing error for a two-run lead in the third inning.
Oakland mustered one more run before Youngstown State went on a scoring spree in the fourth and fifth innings, with six RBIs scored, including a triple RBI play by Uriepero to extend the lead 13-6.
A pitching change by Oakland shut down the Penguins’ offense, which gave the Golden Grizzlies a chance to fight back with five innings left of play. A throwing error, balk and two-run home run by the Golden Grizzlies put them within one run of tying the game in the eighth inning. Freshman Bryce Palms entered the game to close out the eighth and produce a scoreless ninth to seal the game 13-12.
In Game Two, senior Braden Gebhardt took the mound and fired off eight strikeouts in a little over six innings of pitching without giving up a run until the fifth.
Gebhardt’s lights-out performance allowed the Penguins to pick apart the Golden Grizzlies with 11 unanswered runs in four innings, including three RBIs by Beckley and a home run by junior Luke Rossi.Youngstown State whittled down its opponent’s pitching depth, with all four Oakland pitchers giving up at least two earned runs. After the fifth inning, junior Brady Shannon hit a home run to kick off another scoring run of the Penguins 16-1 that proved insurmountable for the Golden Grizzlies.
In the seventh inning, Oakland mustered one sacrifice bunt before the mercy rule kicked in and secured the series for the Penguins with a final score of 16-2.
The Penguins returned April 18 for the final game of the series with the opportunity to secure their first series sweep in three years. After going scoreless in the first inning and giving up a sacrifice fly to Oakland — the first time during the series in which the Penguins trailed — Youngstown State rallied over the next two innings with four runs scored.
After two runs by Oakland threatened to tie the game, senior Garrett Cutting doubled for a run to put the Penguins up 6-4. Fifth-year senior Luke Zmolik closed the game with six strikeouts in four innings as the Penguins swept a series for the first time since 2023.
Beckley held a batting average of .307, 20 RBIs and three home runs. On defense, he continued to add to his tally of putouts, with 177 on the season.Youngstown State has nine conference games remaining on their schedule. Before Horizon League play continues, the Penguins will face the University of Illinois-Chicago in a three-game series starting April 24.