The Youngstown State baseball team led throughout and continued its recent ht streak at the plate in a 12-4 victory over Butler on Friday at Bulldog Park.

The Penguins, who won for the fourth straight game, scored three runs in the first inning and led by at least three for all but an inning and a half.

Six different YSU hitters had at least two hits as the Guins posted 17 as a team. David Leon, Phil Lipari and Jeremy Banks had three hits apiece in the first, second and cleanup spots in the lineup. No. 3 batter Drew Dosch had two hits, including a three-run round tripper in the ninth that helped remove all doubt in the outcome.

YSU starter Russ Harless allowed three runs on six hits in six innings to win for the second straight weekend. Kevin McCulloh came in to throw two scoreless innings of relief, and Nic Manuppelli allowed a harmless run in the ninth.

A sacrifice fly by Banks and a two-run single by Marcus Heath gave Youngstown State a 3-0 lead in the first. The Penguins went up 4-0 in the fifth when Jason Shirley hustled for a double and scored on Dan Hurlimann's two-out single.

Butler got three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the margin to one.  The first two batters reached, and No. 9 hitter Marco Caponi followed a sacrifice bunt with a two-run triple. He then scored on a balk.

Hurlimann came through again with two outs in the seventh with his first career home run, a two-run shot to right that put YSU up 6-3. Dosch brought in Leon with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to put the Penguins up 7-3, and Dosch's three-run homer capped a five-run ninth.

Jack Dillon scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth for Butler's final run.

Griffin Richeson and Radley Haddad had two hits for the Bulldogs, who were held to eight hits. Butler starter Brad Schnitzer allowed six runs in 6 2-3 innings in a losing effort.

Youngstown State and Butler will continue their three-game series at 1 p.m. on Saturday.