Farmville, Va. -- Braden Gebhardt had a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings on the mound, and the Youngstown State baseball team scored two ninth inning runs to rally for a 2-1 victory over Longwood on Friday in the series opener at Bobby Bolding Stadium.
The Lancers broke a scoreless tie with a single run in the bottom of the eighth inning before the Penguins answered with two runs on three hits in the top half of the ninth to move in front. Sloan Ulrich proceeded to retire the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to secure YSU's first victory of the 2026 season.
Brady Shannon reached on an error in the top of the ninth and raced home from first on Teddy Ruffner's pinch-hit RBI double to tie the score at one run apiece. Following a base hit from Luke Rossi, Kendal Spencer plated Ruffner from second with an RBI single that gave YSU the decisive 2-1 advantage.
After being named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Week twice in as many starts to begin 2026, Gebhardt delivered another stellar starting pitching performance for the Penguins on Friday in Farmville. The senior left-hander scattered five hits with a new career-high 12 strikeouts while walking just two batters over seven scoreless innings of work.
Gebhardt matched the longest outing of his career for the second straight week in Friday's series opener while recording a strikeout in six different frames. The Howland, Ohio, native registered multiple punchouts in four different innings, and he struck out the side in both the fourth and the seventh. Gebhardt, who has yet to give up an earned run on nine hits allowed this season, has struck out 28 batters while walking just seven in 20 innings pitched.
Brayden Kuriger finished with two of YSU's seven hits as the Penguins edged the Lancers in the hit column, 7-6.
Luke Zmolik was responsible for one run while recording two outs in the bottom of the eighth as YSU's first reliever out of the bullpen. Ulrich was awarded with the victory after coming on to record the final four outs for the Penguins.
After Zmolik struck out the first two batters he faced in the home half of eighth, Jae'den Carter reached with a two-out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Mac Tufts and Tre Keels followed with back-to-back walks that prompted a YSU pitching change. After issuing a bases-loaded walk to Ben Pulliam which gave the Lancers a 1-0 lead, Ulrich responded to strike out Carter Newman and keep the deficit at a single run.
Longwood starter Jaxon Lloyd allowed three hits while fanning eight batters over 6.1 scoreless innings. Jackson Nash surrendered two runs on four hits over 2.2 innings of relief in a losing effort.
The Penguins and Lancers will continue their four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
