Purdue Fort Wayne scored three times in the top of ninth inning to overcome a 3-2 deficit and defeat the Youngstown State baseball team 5-4 in the Horizon League series opener on Friday at Eastwood Field.
The Penguins broke 1-1 tie when Tommy Rover hit a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning. YSU held a 3-2 advantage heading into the top of the ninth, and Purdue Fort Wayne struck for three runs to take its first lead the contest. The Guins pushed across a single run in the bottom of the ninth, but the 'Dons held on for the series-opening victory.
Youngstown State drops to 3-17 overall and 1-3 in the Horizon League play while Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 2-18 and 1-3 in league action.
Cole Smith went 3-for-4, Rover hit a two-run home run and Brayden Kuriger added two hits and a walk for the Penguins, who bested the Mastodons in the hit column 8-7.
Jacob Gehring allowed two runs on four hits with a career-high nine strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision. The senior right-hander retired the first six batters he faced. Sloan Ulrich and Phil Brennaman each tossed a scoreless inning of relief while Mikey Rodriques suffered the loss after all three of PFW's runs in the ninth went on his record.
The Penguins got on the board first with a single run in the bottom of the second inning. Smith hit a leadoff single and came around to score when Nathan Beckley grounded into a double play.
The Mastodons evened the score at 1-1 with a single tally of their own in the top of the third. Kevin Hall hit a leadoff triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Camden Karczewski.
YSU loaded the bases with three straight one-out walks in the home half of the third. Smith then hit a hard line drive down the first base line that was caught by Purdue Fort Wayne first baseman Jackson Micheels. Micheels was able to make the catch and step on first behind the runner for an inning-ending double play.
The Penguins regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Garrett Cutting drew a one-out walk and Rover followed with a two-run blast over the wall in right field to give YSU a 3-1 edge.
The Mastodons responded with another single run in the top of the sixth to pull within 3-2. Grant Sawa drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on a sacrifice fly from Micheels.
Purdue Fort Wayne's Ryan Jenkins reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Drew Helton's two-out RBI single to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the ninth. Rodriques issued a walk to Grant Sawa for his final batter before Harun Pelja entered and hit back-to-back batters to force in a pair of runs and give the 'Dons a 5-3 lead.
Beckley hit a leadoff single and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jack Johnson in the bottom of the ninth to account for the final margin.
Purdue Fort Wayne starter Dillon Fischer allowed three runs on five hits and six walks over five innings. Aidan Pearson tossed three scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory while Rex Stills retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to collect the save.
The Penguins and Mastodons will continue their three-game Horizon League series on Saturday. First pitch at Eastwood Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.
