Milena Lacatena belted a three-run, pitch-hit home run in the bottom of the second inning to lead the Youngstown State softball team to a 7-0 win over Robert Morris in the first round of the 2021 Horizon League Softball Championship at the YSU Softball Field.

The Penguins improve to 36-13 overall and tied the school record for most wins in a season.

Robert Morris falls to 25-18.

Grace Cea went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI while Avrey Schumacher and Conchetta Rinaldi each drove in a run.

Elle Buffenbarger picked up her 20th win of the year tossing six innings, scattering four hits and striking out six. She also became the second player in school history to record 200 strikeouts in a career and now has 205. 

The Penguins used a five-run second inning to jump on top of the Colonials early. Cea singled down the right-field line to plate Nikki Saibene with the game's first run. Rinaldi hustled out an infield single that plated Hailey Niederkohr.

Lacatena, who pinch-hit for Yazmine Romero, clobbered a 1-2 to center field to put the Penguins up 5-0.

Jillian Jakse led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, and Schumacher plated pinch-runner Sarah Bader with a double to right-center. Pinch-runner Syndey Payne stole home on a double-steal to give the Penguins a 7-0.

Senior Maddi Lusk pitched the final inning and posted one strikeout.

The Penguins face No. 3 seed UIC, Friday, May 14, at 12 p.m.