Senior transfer Kyle Fossum hit a home run and doubled in his YSU debut, but the Youngstown State baseball team suffered a 10-3 setback at Baylor in its 2025 season opener on Friday at Baylor Ballpark in Waco, Texas.
The Bears scored the first three runs of the game before Fossum sent a solo blast to left field in the top of the fourth. Baylor plated three runs in the fifth and one in the seventh to extend its lead to 7-1. The Penguins added single tallies in the eighth and the ninth while the Bears bolstered their advantage with a three-run eighth.
Baylor starter Ethan Calder allowed one run on two hits with 13 strikeouts over five innings to earn the victory. The senior left-hander struck out the side in three different frames while retiring the side in order in the second and fifth innings.
Fossum went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored while Eli Brown was 2-for-4 with a double. Nathan Beckley delivered an RBI single and Brady Shannon singled as a pinch hitter in his first at bat as a Penguin.
YSU starter Jacob Gehring took the loss after allowing six runs on six hits with four strikeouts over 4.1 innings on the mound. Sloan Ulrich was responsible for one run while allowing four hits and three walks in 2.2 innings as the first reliever out of the bullpen. Mikey Rodriques permitted three runs on three hits in his lone inning of relief.
The Bears struck first with a pair of runs on three hits in the home half of the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead. Jack Little started in the inning with a leadoff single before back-to-back one-out RBI doubles from Wesley Jordan and Hunter Simmons. Baylor added a two-out run in the bottom of the third inning as Jordan drew a two-out walk and came around to score on an RBI single by Gavin Brzozowski.
The Penguins got on the board for the first time in 2025 when Fossum belted a solo home run over the wall in left field with one out in the top of the fourth.
The Bears struck for three runs on two hits in the bottom of the fifth to increase their lead. Gehring opened the frame with a strikeout before surrendering a double and two straight walks before he handed the ball to Ulrich. An infield RBI single between a pair of bases-loaded walks allowed Baylor to build a 6-1 advantage heading to the sixth. The Bears got a solo home run from Ty Johnson in the seventh before scoring three runs on three hits in the eighth to pull away for the opening day victory.
Jordan went 3-for-4 with two doubles while driving in a run and scoring three times to pace Baylor offensively. Simmons added three hits and two RBIs while Johnson had two hits and finished with a game-high four RBIs.
Youngstown State will conclude its three-game series at Baylor on opening weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through links on YSUsports.com.
