Softball Visits Cleveland State For Crucial Three-Game Series
4/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Youngstown State softball team returns to Horizon League action when it visits in-state rival Cleveland State in a crucial three-game series, April 29-30, in Cleveland, Ohio. First pitch for Friday's single game is slated for 5 p.m.
The Guins (22-18, 5-10 HL) and Vikings (22-17, 7-6 HL) will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 30, beginning at 1 p.m.
The Cleveland State Series
The Penguins and Vikings have met 83 times previously and the Vikings own a slim 42-41 advantage in the all-time series, but have won 16 of the last 19 games. Last season, the Vikings won the season series but the Guins pulled out a 6-3 victory in game two of the three-game series.
Scouting Cleveland State
The Vikings are 22-17 overall and 7-6 in the Horizon League. Sophomore Tess Sito leads the Vikings offensively and in the circle. Sito owns a team-best .344 batting average and has stolen a team-high 15 bases. Sito also leads the pitching staff with a 18-14 record, a 1.50 earned-run average and 233 strikeouts in 220.2 innings pitched. Dara Toman and Jessica Burt lead the team with seven home runs each.
Ingalls League Leader
Junior Jordan Ingalls continues to be one of the top overall offensive leaders in the Horizon League. Ingalls the league with a .389 batting average and is tied for the league lead with four triples. She also ranks second in hits with 49 and a .619 slugging percentage, third in runs batted in with 38 and tied for third with 78 total bases.
Crozier Most Wins By Frosh Since 2003
Freshman Casey Crozier picked up her 12th win of the season with a five-hit shutout against Butler on April 23. Her 12 wins mark the most by a freshman pitcher since Kelly Murphy set the single-season win mark of 22 in 2003. Crozier also needs just two more strikeouts to move into fifth place on the single-season strikeout list with 91. She currently has 89 strikeouts.
Thomas Surpasses Century Mark
Junior Haley Thomas has scored 103 runs during her career becoming just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat. She has scored 35 runs this season, which ranks second in the Horizon League, and needs just six more runs to tie her own single-season runs record of 41 set in 2010.
Klonowski Surging
Senior Kim Klonowski has really become a tough out over the last 13 games she has played. During that time, Klonowski has increased her batting average 108 points from .215 to .323, going 18-for-34 for a .529 average with three doubles, two home runs and eight runs batted in. She has also scored five times in the her last 13 games.
Rendle Among League Leaders
Senior Kristina Rendle is also have a tremendous final campaign. Rendle ranks third in the Horizon League with a .354 batting average and third with 33 runs scored. Her 33 runs scored also rank fifth on the YSU single-season chart. Rendle also leads the team with eight stolen bases, which ranks tied for eighth in the Horizon League.
Penguin Swipers
The Guins have improved dramatically in the stolen base category in 2011. The Guins have been successful stealing in 41-of-52 attempts or 78.8 percent of the time. The 41 stolen bases are tied for the sixth most in a single-season. Last season, the Guins stole just 10 bases in 20 attempts.
