Mount Pleasant, S.C. – The Youngstown State baseball team showed fight again by tying the game in the top of the ninth, but the College of Charleston won on a walk-off base on balls in the bottom half to win 5-4 on Friday at The Ballpark at Patriots Point.

The gritty Penguins, who won two extra-inning games in their season-opening series at No. 35 Houston last weekend, came from behind twice to tie the score heading into the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cougars. YSU retired the first two batters of the inning, but CofC drew four straight walks against Joel Hake and Bryce Warwick.

Steven D'Eusanio went 2-for-4, and he was one of four Penguins to score in the contest. Andre Good hit a big two-run single in the seventh and walked twice, including once as YSU rallied in the ninth.

Youngstown State had its record evened at 2-2, and the College of Charleston improved to 3-1.              

In the top of the ninth, Blaze Glenn led off with a walk, and Padraig O'Shaughnessy and Good drew one-out walks to load the bases. Ty Good came on in relief for the College of Charleston and struck out Nick Caruso on a full-count pitch on the inside corner, but Lucas Nasonti hit a 2-0 offering into left field to bring in Glenn with tying run. With the bases still loaded, Ty Good struck out pinch-hitter Dominick Bucko to keep the game tied.

Hake got the first two outs on just five pitches in the bottom of the ninth, but McClendon Sears and Matt Lobeck walked consecutively against him in nine pitches. Bryce Warwick came on and walked Joseph Mershon and pinch-hitter Tanner McCasllister on full counts to force in the winning run.

Trotter Harlan and Luke Stageberg, the top two batters in the Cougars' lineup, combined for five of the team's nine hits.

The Cougars threatened in the bottom of the first inning as Trotter Harlan and Luke Stageberg started the frame with back-to-back singles. However, YSU starter Colin Clark got Harrison Hawkins to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play and Ari Sechopoulos to groundout to avoid any damage.

YSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning as Caruso hit a one-out single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nasonti and scored on an RBI single from Turner Grau.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cougars scored two runs on two hits to take a 2-1 advantage. Harlan hit a one-out double and came around to score on a groundout by Hawkins. Sechopoulos then doubled home Stageberg, who was hit by a pitch, to give the College of Charleston its first lead of the contest.

The Penguins responded with two runs with two outs to go back in front 3-2. D'Eusanio started the rally with a single, and Braeden O'Shaughnessy followed with a double down the right field line. Good then drove both runners home with a two-run single.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Stageberg hit a one-out single and Hawkins followed with a double down the left field line. Sechopoulos was then able to drive home Stageberg with a groundout that evened the score at three runs apiece.

The College of Charleston scored again in the eighth without recording a hit. Donald Hansis was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second. Pinch-runner Chris Graham came on to steal third, and he scored on a bunt two batters later.

Clark allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings in a no-decision. CofC's runs in the seventh and eighth were charged to Dalton Earich. Hake was charged with the loss.

The Penguins scored three runs off CofC starter Jordan Carr over seven innings. Brooks Lucas pitched a scoreless eighth, and four Cougars pitched in the ninth.

The Penguins and Cougars will play the second game of their three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m. Collin Floyd will take the mound for Youngstown State.