Kyle Fossum homered for the second straight game and Cole Smith drove in four runs in game two as the Youngstown State baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Baylor on Saturday at Baylor Ballpark in Waco, Texas.
The Penguins fell 16-4 in game one of the twin bill before dropping a 12-4 decision in the nightcap and series finale.
Game 1 Recap
Baylor used two big innings to pull away for a 16-4 victory over the Youngstown State baseball team in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Baylor Ballpark.
The Penguins scored twice in the top of the fourth on a two-out, two-run home run by Fossum to take a 2-1 lead. The Bears answered with a six-run fourth inning before adding nine runs in the home half of the sixth to pick up the seven-inning victory.
Fossum went deep for the second straight game to begin his YSU career while Eli Brown doubled and Jack Johnson recorded a single. Smith drew a pair of walks and scored two runs as the Penguins were outhit by the Bears 16-3.
YSU starter JJ Tylicki suffered the loss after allowing seven runs, four of them earned, on six hits over 3.1 innings in his YSU debut. Harun Pelja surrendered five runs on six hits over 2.1 innings while Nate Ross was responsible for four runs on four hits.
Baylor starter Bryson Bales earned the victory after allowing two runs on two hits and striking out eight batters over four innings of work. Will Glatch was awarded the save after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.
The Bears struck first with a single run in the bottom of the third inning. Tyriq Kemp hit a one-out double and scored on a two-out RBI single by Enzo Apodaca to give Baylor a 1-0 lead.
Smith drew a two-out walk for the Penguins in the top of the fourth to set up Fossum's two-run blast to right field that gave YSU a brief 2-1 edge.
The Bears countered by scoring six runs on five hits in the bottom of the fourth to regain a 7-2 advantage. The Guins pulled within 7-4 with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth before the home team posted a nine-run bottom of the inning to pull away and secure the series win.
Game 2 Recap
Baylor jumped out to an early lead and went on to complete the series sweep with a 12-4 win over the Youngstown State baseball team in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at Baylor Ballpark.
Smith went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs while Fossum also recorded two hits including a double.
YSU starter Phil Brennaman was the losing pitcher after allowing six runs on seven hits in 1.1 innings. Freshman right-hander Tyler Heflin was responsible for two unearned runs on five hits over 4.2 innings of relief in his collegiate debut. Braden Gebhardt surrendered four runs on four hits in the seventh while Aidan English worked around three walks to toss a scoreless eighth.
Baylor jumped in front with two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning. The Bears loaded the bases to set up back-to-back RBI singles from Hunter Simmons and Ty Johnson.
Youngstown State evened the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Nic Goodwin hit a one-out single and Tommy Rover was hit by a pitch before a two-out, two-run double to right field by Smith.
Baylor responded to regain the lead with five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second. Kemp led off the inning with a solo home run before a two-run homer by Wesley Jordan. Pearson Riebock added a two-out RBI double for the Bears while another run scored on an error. Baylor added a single run in the bottom of the third when Apodaca reached on an error and Jordan followed with an RBI triple to give his team an 8-2 lead.
The Penguins continued to battle as they plated two runs in the top of the seventh to pull within 8-4. Goodwin and Rover each walked and scored on another two-run double down the right field line by Smith.
The Bears answered by scoring four runs on four hits in the home half of the seventh to increase their lead to 12-4. Jack Little, Apodaca and Jordan each had RBI singles during the four-run seventh.
Baylor starter Cole Stasio collected the win after allowing two runs on five hits over four innings. Six different Bears' relievers combined to permit two runs on two hits over the final five frames.
Youngstown State will continue its early-season road stretch next weekend with a four-game series at Abilene Christian. The Penguins and Wildcats will open the series on Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
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