Box Score The Youngstown State baseball team scored eight runs in the first four innings and beat Bowling Green 9-5 on Wednesday afternoon at Steller Field. The Penguins, who beat the Falcons 2-0 on April 27, swept the season series.
Alex Larivee and Billy Salem combined for seven hits from the top two spots in the lineup, and Anthony Rohan drove in three runs for the Penguins.
Freshman Chris Sparks battled through five innings in his first career start to earn his first win. He allowed four runs, and the Falcons stranded eight base-runners in his five innings. Jared Wight and Shane Willoughby combined to hold the Falcons scoreless in the sixth through eighth innings, and Kevin Yarabinec allowed a run in the ninth.
Bowling Green got a run on a wild pitch but left the bases loaded in the first, and Youngstown State scored its first two runs in the top of the second to go up 2-1. Kyle Benyo's ground out plated Trey Bridis, and Hunter Snyder followed with a two-out single that brought in Rohan.
The Falcons left the bases loaded again in the second, and the Penguins followed it up with another two-run showing in the top of the third. Salem led the inning off with a single, and he scored on a Bridis single. Gerrad Rohan, who also singled, came in on Anthony Rohan's fielder's choice as the Penguins took a 4-1 lead.
The advantage increased to 8-1 in the fourth as the Penguins scored four runs on three hits and three walks. Snyder singled and scored on a wild pitch, and Larivee singled and scored on Bridis' bases-loaded walk. Anthony Rohan then singled in Andrew Kendrick and Gerrad Rohan to put the Penguins up seven.
Bowling Green scored twice in the bottom of the fourth, and a Falcons run in the fifth cut the Penguins' lead to four. Larivee singled and scored on Salem's RBI single in the eighth, and Bowling Green got the tying run to the plate in the ninth before Yarabinec got the final out.
Youngstown State will play four Horizon League games over the weekend, starting with a doubleheader on Friday against Valparaiso. The first game will start at 11 a.m. as part of a Kids Day promotion in conjunction with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
