Freshman Jillian Jakse drilled a 2-1 pitch to right field to plate Maddi Lusk to lift the Youngstown State softball team to a 7-6 win over Akron in eight innings and a doubleheader sweep with an 11-3 win in game two.

The Penguins have won four straight and improve to 4-2 while the Zips fall to 1-5.

After Lusk was hit by a pitch, an Alex DeLeon infield single and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, the Zips decided to intentionally walk Jakse. The 2-1 pitch was too close to the zone and Jakse, who went 2-for-4, lined a single over the right fielder's head for the game-winning hit.

The Penguins scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game after Akron used a three-run top half of the inning to take a 6-4 lead.

The Penguins owned a 4-3 lead heading into the seventh inning when Akron's Laurel Devoe hit a two-run homer and Anna Aquino doubled to left to give the Zips a two-run advantage.

DeLeon, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, led off the bottom half of the inning with a single and Jakse was hit by a pitch. DeLeon advanced to third on a fly out to right and scored on Grace Cea's single through the left side. An infield single by Hailey Roach loaded the bases and Jakse scored the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly by Conchetta Rinaldi.

Elle Buffenbarger grinded out the complete-game victory with 13 strikeouts for her first win of the season.

In the nightcap, the Penguins banged out 13 hits and used a six-run second inning en route to the five-inning 11-3 victory.

Freshman Hailey Niederkohr went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in while Lusk, Cea, and Saibene each had two hits. Cea also drove in three runs.

Lusk earned her second straight win in the circle collecting 10 strikeouts.

The Penguins and Zips close out the four-game series with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 7, at 1 p.m.