Box Score Lexington, Va. --
Youngstown State rallied from four runs down for the second
straight day and defeated VMI 9-4 on Saturday morning at Gray-Minor
Stadium.
The Penguins, down 4-0 through five
innings, scored three runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and
five in the ninth. Junior Jacke Healey knocked in the game-winning
run for the second straight day with a one-out RBI double that
opened the flood gates.
Ten Penguins batted in the ninth as YSU
had six of its 14 hits in the inning. VMI helped with two errors,
and all but one of YSU's runs was unearned. All 14 of YSU's hits
came after the fourth inning, and six of those were doubles.
Casey Holland went 2-for-3 with three
RBIs, and Healey finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs
scored.
Trent Wood earned the win for the second
consecutive game, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out
five in three innings of relief.
The Keydets struck first in the second
when a leadoff double resulted in a run, but they left the bases
loaded and popped out on a sacrifice bunt attempt with two runners
on and nobody out. VMI also had runners on second and third with
one out in the fourth after back-to-back walks to start the inning,
but reliever Corey Vukovic limited the damage by giving up just a
sacrifice fly.
VMI worked out of a jam in the
fifth when the Penguins had runners on second and third with nobody
out and couldn't score, and it scored two runs on four hits after
the first two batters were retired in the bottom of the inning to
go ahead 4-0.
From that point, VMI was held to two hits
in the final four innings while YSU had 12.
David Leon got things going for the
Penguins in their three-run sixth with a one-out double to left
center. Jeremy Banks then singled to right to put two runners on,
and Healey followed with an RBI double down the left field line.
Holland then doubled in Healeys and Banks for the Penguins' fourth
straight hit that cut the margin to 4-3.
VMI missed an opportunity to get a run
back in the bottom of the sixth when it had runners at the corners
with one out and did not score.
YSU's Derek Carr hit a one-out double in
the seventh and scored the tying run on Banks' bases-loaded ground
out once Jason Reitenbach and Leon walked.
The Penguins had a chance to go ahead in
the eighth when they had the bases loaded and one out, but
back-to-back strikeouts kept the score deadlocked at 4-4.
Healey came through in the ninth with his
one-out RBI double, plating Leon after he reached on an error to
start the inning. Holland singled in Healey to make the score 6-4,
and the Penguins went on to score three more runs on RBI singles
from C.J. Morris and Reitenbach and another error.
The Penguins will play at Virginia Tech
on Sunday at 1 p.m.