Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Youngstown State softball team extended its winning streak to six games after hanging on for a 3-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon.
The Penguins improve to 17-10 overall and 6-0 in the Horizon League while the Mastodons fall to 5-20 overall and 0-3 in the league.
Freshmen Lydia Wilkerson and Autumn Behlke each had two hits while sophomore Kennedy Dean belted her fourth home run of the season.
Senior Sophie Howell struck out eight in a complete-game victory to improve to 11-4 on the season.
Wilkerson delivered a two-out single that scored Macy Littler, who singled to lead off the frame, with an seventh inning insurance run to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead.
The Mastodons loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Howell induced an infield fly out, but Epiphany Hang's infield single scored McKenna Minton to cut the lead to 3-2. Howell got Brooke Lickey to foul out to right field with the game-winning run on second base.
Dean clubbed her second home run of the series, a solo shot, to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth.
In the top of the fifth, Behlke ripped a two-out single up the middle, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on another error on Sara Fessler's stolen base.
The Mastodons cut the Penguins lead to 2-1 with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Youngstown State visits St. Bonaventure in a midweek doubleheader, Wednesday, March 27. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
