The Youngstown State baseball team scored the final seven runs to beat N.C. Central 8-7 on Sunday afternoon and earn its third series win in the first four weekends of the season.

The Penguins trailed 7-1 through five innings but stormed back with a run in the sixth and six in the seventh to top the Eagles. Dominick Bucko provided the go-ahead runs on a three-run homer, the first of his YSU career, with two outs in the seventh.

With Horizon League play beginning next weekend, Youngstown State improved to 7-6 this season with all 13 games being on the road. N.C. Central dropped to 5-11.

Bucko finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and Steven D'Eusanio, who hit his team-leading fourth homer in the game, also had two hits and scored twice. Seven different Penguins had hits, and seven YSU players scored.

Luis DeLeon's RBI single gave NCCU a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and D'Eusanio led off the second with his homer to left to tie the score.

Youngstown State went to the bullpen with one out in the bottom of the second as Joel Hake inherited the bases loaded, and got out of the jam with the score still tied. Hake threw out Jacob Raby at the plate on a grounder back to the mound, and the senior right-hander got Carter Williams to fly out to center.

Jon Snyder came on to pitch scoreless third and fourth innings, but the Eagles scored six runs on four hits against him in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-1 lead. Bryceson Hernandez hit a two-run double in the inning, and Cameron Norgen's two-run homer came three batters later and finished the scoring. Chad Coles relieved Snyder, and the junior went on to hold N.C. Central scoreless on one hit over 3.1 innings.

While Coles was in control on the mound, YSU's offense came through in the clutch as all seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings came after there were two outs.

In the top of the sixth, Blaze Glenn singled, stole second and scored on Bucko's RBI single to make the score 7-2. The top of the seventh inning started with a strikeout, and a throwing error on Lucas Nasonti's grounder to short resulted in the Penguins scoring six unearned runs in the frame.

With Nasonti on, Jeff Wehler and Phillip Glasser hit back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Glenn's sacrifice fly brought in Nasonti to make the score 7-3, and another throwing error on Andre Good's grounder to third prolonged the inning and allowed two more runs to come across. D'Eusanio's infield single put two runners on, and Bucko delivered with his go-ahead home run to right field.

Coles retired NCCU in order in the bottom of the inning, and he worked around two baserunners in the eighth to preserve the lead. Gary Clift Jr. pitched the ninth inning and retired three straight batters after issuing a leadoff walk to record his second save of the season.

Coles was awarded the win with his outstanding relief outing, and the five YSU pitchers who took the mound allowed just six hits in the game. Starter Travis Perry allowed a run on a hit and two walks in his 1.1 innings of work.

NCCU starter Shane Davis allowed two runs on five hits over six innings, and he handed the ball to the bullpen with a 7-2 lead. All six of YSU's runs, which were all unearned, in the seventh went on Brendan Bell's record.

Youngstown State is scheduled to play its home opener on Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Bowling Green at Eastwood Field. The Penguins will then begin Horizon League play on Friday with the start of a three-game series at Northern Kentucky.