Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Grace Cea hit a walk-off run-scoring double in the bottom of the seventh inning to back a solid outing by Elle Buffenbarger as the Youngstown State softball team defeated UIC in game one of a doubleheader at the YSU Softball Field. The Penguins dropped the nightcap, 2-1.
With the score tied 1-1, Hailey Niederkohr led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left center that scooted under the left fielder's glove and allowed her to advance to second. Two batters later, Cea ripped a double that one-hopped the left-field fence that plated Niederkohr with the game-winner.
Buffenbarger struck out 12 batters, which was one shy of her career high that she had on Friday, and allowed just three hits and two walks. One of those hits was a solo home run by Kayla Wedl on the third pitch of the game, and both walks came in the top of the first.
Buffenbarger, a junior from Mason, Ohio, struck out the side in the first and seventh innings, and she had inning-ending strikeouts in the fourth and sixth innings when the Flames had runners in scoring position.
Youngstown State's first run came in the bottom of the fourth when Jillian Jakse and Nikki Saibene hit back-to-back one out singles to set up an RBI single by Niederkohr.
Niederkohr finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI from the sixth spot in the lineup. The Penguins finished with six hits while UIC had three.
In the game two, the Penguins received another impressive outing from senior Maddi Lusk who struck out eight and allowed just three hits in the hard luck loss.
The Flames scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth that proved to be the difference. After Wedl led off the top of the sixth inning with a single, she scored from first on a sacrifice bunt by Samantha Ferguson and a YSU throwing error. The Penguins committed two more errors that allowed Ferguson to score.
Jakse, who went 2-for-3, hit her first career home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the deficit in half.
Youngstown State visits Detroit Mercy in a four-game series, March 19-20, in Detroit, Mich.
