St. Bonaventure, N.Y. – Youngstown State scored three runs in the second and six in the third inning of game two en route to a 9-1 win and secured a doubleheader split against St. Bonaventure on Saturday afternoon at Joyce Field. Youngstown State lost the opener, 6-5.
The Penguins improve to 14-12 overall while the Bonnies move to 4-26 on the year.
Freshman Leila Staszak drove in a career-high four runs while sophomore Bella Meyer and senior Emma Gilkerson each had two hits and senior Kennedy Dean belted her fourth home run of the year to lead the Penguins offense in the game two victory.
Sophomore Kelsey Ogin struck out two in a complete-game three hitter to pick up her fourth win of the season.
Staszak broke a scoreless tie with a bases-clearing double in top of the second inning for a 3-0 lead. Dean reached on an error to lead off the frame, and a walk to Selah Moyer and a single by Bree Kohler loaded the bases. Staszak battled through a nine-pitch at-bat and laced a double to left-center field to plate all three runs.
The Penguins sent 10 batters to the plate in their six-run third inning. Tai Turner led off with a walk and scored on Dean's towering home run to left field. Staszak drove in her fourth run of the inning on a fielder's choice that plated Tatum Werley and Moyer scored on a throwing error.
A double to left-center field by Meyer drove in Staszak and Gilkerson's two-out single brought Meyer in with the Penguins' final run.
The Bonnies scored once in the bottom of the fourth inning.
In the opener, Moyer went 3-for-3 with three doubles and four runs batted in to lead the Penguins offense. Her three doubles tied a YSU single-game record for most doubles.
The Bonnies jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Moyer's two-run double in the top of the third cut the lead to 3-2, but the Bonnies answered with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 5-2.
Moyer second two-run double and her third of the game in top of the sixth drove in Ayla Ray and Turner to get back within one, 5-4.
St. Bonaventure added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Wilkerson singled and came around to score after a wild pitch, ground out and a passed ball.
Youngstown State returns home to host Northern Kentucky in a three-game Horizon League series, March 27-28, at the YSU Softball Field.
