May 13, 2008 | Box Score

Third-Inning Outburst Helps Penguins Down Kent State, 13-9

    Struthers, Ohio -- Youngstown State tallied seven runs in the third and added scores in every inning other than the first and sixth to beat Kent State 14-9 on Tuesday evening at Cene Park.
    Joe Iacobucci had four hits and scored four times for YSU, which improved to 5-0 at Cene Park this season. The victory over Kent State (31-19) was YSU's second against a team with more than 30 wins in as many nights.
    Kent State scored in seven different innings, but YSU's (21-30) pitching staff kept the Golden Flashes from scoring more than two runs in any of those frames. Kent State stranded 15 runners while YSU left just six.
    The Penguins also scored on all four of Kent State's wild pitches.
    Senior Lucas Engle earned his first win, allowing four earned runs while striking out five in five innings.
    Kent State led 2-0 after scoring in each of the first two innings, but Engle worked out of jams and forced the Golden Flashes to strand two runners in both innings.
    Iacobucci led off the second with a single, Anthony Porter doubled and Eric Marzec hit a sacrifice fly, but Kent State's Greg Rohan hit his 18th home run on the first pitch of the third to keep the visitors up two.
    YSU then blew the game open in the third by scoring seven runs on seven hits as 11 players went to the plate. John Koehnlein led off with a walk, and the Penguins strung five straight singles together to take a 5-3 lead. David Leon and Koehnlein had RBI singles later in the inning, and the Penguins scored on a double play.
    The teams each scored twice in the fourth through sixth innings before Kent State plated two unearned runs in the top of the seventh to get within three at 10-7.
    The Penguins got some help in the bottom of the seventh and scored three runs on two hits. Kent State reliever Cory Martin walked the first two batters and hit Jason Reitenbach to load the bases before Brett Weibley took the mound. After a wild pitch allowed Marzec to score, Josh Page drove in Leon with a single and Reitenbach scored on another wild pitch.
    Marzec singled in Iacobucci in the eighth to put YSU up 14-7, and Kent State scored twice in the ninth for the final tally.
    Youngstown State will play its final series of the regular season starting Thursday against Milwaukee. The Penguins and Panthers will play a doubleheader Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern at the Brewers' Miller Park and a single game Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern.
    The third through sixth seeds in next week's Horizon League Baseball Championship are still undecided. YSU currently sits third in the standings and can secure that seed with a win and a loss by both Cleveland State and Valparaiso.