Lexington, Va. -- Junior Jacke Healey hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning to lead the Youngstown State baseball team to a 7-6 win over VMI Friday and its 1,000th victory as a program.
Healey's game-winner came with the Penguins down to their final strike and capped a rally in which the Penguins outscored the Keydets 6-1 in the final four innings.
Healey, a junior transfer from Potomac State College, finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two doubles to go along with his two-run blast to left.
The win was the Penguins' first of the season in four tries. The program now has an overall record of 1,000-958-6 in its 55th season.
The Penguins trailed 5-1 after five innings, and they fell behind 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth after tying it in the top half of the frame.
Jason Reitenbach was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and he went to second on Derek Carr's ground out. After a wild pitch, Healey hit a 1-2 pitch off Sam Roberts over the left field wall.
New closer Anthony Munoz came in and retired the Keydets in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save.
"What an unbelievable finish, and what a way to get our 1,000th win," YSU head coach Rich Pasquale. "The guys just kept grinding it out. We finished off innings and we finished off the game. That's what I've been trying to get our players to believe in.
"We played together, and we never gave up. We played a good team, and I think that we showed that we'll never be out of games with our potential offensively.
Junior Trent Wood earned his first win, allowing a run on two hits in the eighth inning. Starter Aaron Swenson allowed five runs - four earned - on six hits while striking out six in seven innings.
Joe Iacobucci had two hits, and Eric Hymel had a three RBIs for YSU.
The Keydets got the leadoff batter on in the first and third innings and scored a run in each to go up 2-0.
Healey got the Penguins on the board in the fourth to cut the deficit to 2-1. He doubled to right to start the inning, moved to third on Anthony Porter's ground out and scored on Iacobucci's single.
The Keydets got two runs across in the fourth on back-to-back run-scoring hits by Graham Sullivan and Alex Haitsuka. David Lottman then walked to start the fifth and scored on A.J. Yoder's single to give VMI a 5-1 lead.
Healey hit another leadoff double in the sixth, and Hymel hit a two-out, two-run single to plate Healey and Iacobucci. Porter doubled to start the eighth, and his pinch runner Brian Solitario scored from third on an errant throw from catcher Haitsuka. Hymel then brought in C.J. Morris on a ground out for YSU's second unearned run of the inning, which tied the score at 5-5.
The Keydets loaded the bases with one out in the eight but could only get one run across. Morris gunned down Jordan Ballard at home on a fielder's choice, but Jacob Morley scored on a strike out that kicked away from catcher Casey Holland.
Roberts suffered his first loss, allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on two hits in 1.2 innings.
The Penguins and Keydets will wrap up their brief two game series Saturday at 10 a.m. The game was moved up from 1 p.m. because of poor weather in the afternoon forecast.
