Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Senior Caitlyn Minney picked up a pair of wins to the Youngstown State softball team to a doubleheader sweep over Cleveland State on Senior Day at the YSU Softball Field. The Penguins won 3-1 in the opener and 12-4 in six innings in game two.
With the sweep, the Penguins improve to 25-26 overall and 13-7 in the Horizon League and extended their league-game winning streak to eight games. Cleveland State falls to 6-43 overall and 2-18 in the league.
In the opener, Minney (8-9) fired a complete-game three-hitter and had three strikeouts with one earned run. In game two, Minney threw four innings of scoreless relief and allowed just three hits.
After three-and-half scoreless innings in the opener, the Penguins plated an unearned run in the bottom half of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Junior Cali Mikovich reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Senior Brittney Moffatt followed suit with a bunt single and reached second on an error that allowed Mikovich to score from second.
Mikovich, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, smacked a two-out, two-run double down the right-field line to plate Hannah Lucas and senior Alexa Schmidt.
Cleveland State's Riley Ries hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth for the Vikings' lone run.
In the night cap, Youngstown State cranked out 15 hits led by three each by Moffatt and freshman Tatum Christy. Both also drove in two runs. Junior Hannah Lucas went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs while senior Alexandria Gibson and freshman Maddi Lusk each went 2-for-4.
Mikovich went 1-for-3 with a two run home run and senior Sarah Dowd had an RBI-single.
Cleveland State scored two in the first and second innings but the Penguins answered each time with a pair in the first and three in the second to take a 5-4 lead. YSU scored twice in the third and exploded for four more in the bottom of the fourth to take an 11-4 lead.
Stevie Taylor's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth enforced the run-rule.
The Penguins and Vikings conclude the series with a single game Saturday at Noon.
