Eugene, Ore. — Youngstown State's baseball team set season highs in hits and runs while finishing its seven-game road trip to start the 2026 campaign with a 15-6 loss at Oregon.
The Penguins, who haven't been back to campus since leaving for their three-game series at Auburn on Feb. 13-15, had five extra-base hits and eight hits overall in their loss to the Ducks. YSU dropped to 0-7 this season, while Oregon remained unbeaten at 7-0.
Brayden Kuriger hit his first home run of the season, and Alex Jang recorded two hits, scored a run and drove in another from the leadoff spot. In addition to Kuriger's homer, the Penguins ripped four doubles. Jang had one of those, while Garrett Cutting, Nathan Beckley and Kendal Spencer accounted for the other three.
Drew Smith hit a three-run home run for Oregon in the bottom of the first inning after the Penguins had two runners thrown out on the bases. Smith put the Ducks ahead 4-0, and Youngstown State cut the deficit in half in the second.
Kuriger led off the inning with an opposite-field blast on a 3-2 pitch, and Jay Wrona walked and scored on an error on a double play attempt.
The Ducks answered with two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 6-2 lead, and they pushed the advantage to 14-2 with consecutive runs. Five of those tallies came on four hits and three walks in the bottom of the fifth.
Youngstown State's most productive inning came in the seventh off reliever Hudson Carvalho when it got three runs across on three hits. Beckley's double led off the inning, and the Penguins had four straight runners reach with two outs. Jang and Misael Uriepero walked to join Beckley in loading the bases, and Chyran Humphries plated two runs on a pinch-hit single up the middle. James Carlson followed with a single to bring in Uriepero and make the score 14-5.
Oregon scored an unearned run in the eighth, and Spencer doubled and scored on Jang's one-out RBI single in YSU's half of the ninth.
Brandon Mikos was the first of seven Youngstown State pitchers to take the mound on Sunday, and he allowed four runs in the first inning. Aidan Dorsch took over to start the second and had the longest outing with two innings, and Griffin Almond pitched the next 1.1 innings. Luke Zmolik, Bryce Palms and Sumner Estes each had scoreless outings.
The Penguins made Oregon starter Cal Scolari throw 79 pitches over four innings, and the Ducks' bullpen pitched the final five innings. Ryan Featherston was awarded the win after blanking YSU over the fifth and sixth innings.
Youngstown State will resume its schedule by starting a four-game series at Longwood on Friday.
