Niles, Ohio -- The Youngstown State baseball team scored seven runs in the first three innings and got strong pitching from Patrick O'Brien and Russ Harless in a 9-3 win over Butler on Saturday at Eastwood Field.

The Penguins evened the three-game series with the Bulldogs and will try to win the rubber match on Sunday at noon.

O'Brien allowed three runs, only one of which was earned, in six innings, and Harless did not surrender a run in his three innings of relief. O'Brien earned his first win as a Penguin, and Harless posted his first career save.

The Penguins benefitted greatly from four Butler errors, which led to six unearned runs off starter Joel Leichty. 

Three of YSU's four runs in the first inning were unearned. Leadoff batter David Leon was hit by a pitch and came around to score after an error on a sacrifice bunt and a fielding error. He was the only earned run on the frame. Craig Goubeaux then singled in Drew Dosch and Jason Shirley, and he scored later on a balk with the bases loaded.

All three YSU runs in the third were unearned, and they gave the Guins a 7-0 advantage. After Kevin Hix and Padraic Williams reached on errors and Leon walked, Shirley brought in a run with a fielder's choice. Dosch then drove in Shirley and Williams with a two-out double.

Butler got its first run in the fourth, but Phil Lipari equaled that with an RBI double in the bottom half to put YSU up 8-1.The Bulldogs scored an unearned run in the fifth to make the score 8-2, and both teams added a run in the seventh for the final tally.

Dosch finished with three hits and four RBIs, both of which were game highs. Leon, Shirley and Hix all scored twice.