The Youngstown State baseball team scored three times in the first inning and went on to earn a 6-3 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in the 2021 Horizon League opener for both teams on Friday afternoon at Defiance High School in Defiance, Ohio.

The Penguins won their Horizon League opener for the first time since the 2013 season. YSU struck three times in the first inning on a bases-clearing two-out double by Turner Grau, and it added a run in the fourth on an RBI double by Lucas Nasonti. After the Mastodons scored three runs in the home half of the fifth, the Penguins scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to provide enough breathing room the rest of the way.

Purdue Fort Wayne got the potential tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but YSU closer Gary Clift Jr. got back-to-back fly outs to left field to end the game and secure the Penguins' second straight win.

Youngstown State improves to 3-6 overall and 1-0 in Horizon League play. Purdue Fort Wayne drops its fourth consecutive contest to fall to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league action. The Penguins were playing their first Horizon League game since May 18, 2019, which is a span of 657 days. The Mastodons were playing their first-ever Horizon League contest after joining the conference from the Summit League. Friday's game marked the first meeting on the diamond between YSU and Purdue Fort Wayne since 2005.

YSU outhit Purdue Fort Wayne 10-7 as seven different Penguins notched at least one base hit. Nasonti, Phillip Glasser and Blaze Glenn each had two hits while Grau recorded a career-high three RBIs. Glenn went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, an RBI and a run scored while Glasser was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base. Nasonti went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a steal while Nick Caruso added an RBI single and a run scored.

YSU starter Colin Clark earned his first victory of the season after allowing three runs on six hits and striking out five batters over a season-high 6.2 innings. The senior left-hander had a strikeout in four different frames, and he retired the Mastodons in order in the first, fourth and sixth innings. He blanked Purdue Fort Wayne over the first four innings of play.

Three Penguins relievers combined to hold the Mastodons scoreless on one hit over the final 2.1 innings. Joel Hake retired the only batter he faced in the seventh, Chad Coles tossed a scoreless eighth inning and Clift Jr. earned his third save of the season by working a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

The Penguins jumped in front early by striking for three runs in the top of the first inning. Glasser, Steven D'Eusanio and Glenn each drew walks to load the bases, and Grau followed with a two-out double to right field that cleared the bases to give YSU a 3-0 lead. YSU pushed its advantage to 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning when Caruso reached on a two-out error and Nasonti followed with an RBI double to left field.

Purdue Fort Wayne responded by cutting into the Penguins' lead with three runs in the home half of the fifth. A leadoff double by Garett Lake and a walk by Jack Lang set up a two-run triple to right field off the bat of Dylan Stewart. Trenton Stoner followed with a one-out RBI double to shave YSU's edge to 4-3.

Youngstown State added some insurance in the top of the seventh when Glasser hit a leadoff double and came around to score on a two-out RBI double to left field by Glenn. The Penguins struck again in the eighth when Dominick Bucko hit a leadoff double and scored on an RBI single through the left side by Caruso to produce the final tally.

Seven different Mastodons recorded a hit in the contest. Stewart had a team-high two RBIs while Stoner also drove in a run.

Purdue Fort Wayne starter Justin Miller was responsible for four runs, three of them earned, on four hits over five innings in his first loss of the season. Miller struck out seven batters while walking five. Relievers Trevor Armstrong and Kevin Fee each allowed a run over three combined innings while Gerald Pintarich worked a scoreless top of the ninth.

The Penguins and Mastodons will continue their four-game Horizon League series with a single game on Saturday at 3:20 p.m. ET. No fans are permitted, but the game will be broadcast live on YSNLive.com.