The First Pitch
The Youngstown State softball team (22-14) takes on Mercyhurst in a pair of midweek doubleheaders, April 14-15. The Penguins host the Lakers on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and then head to Erie, Pa. for the second twinbill that is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
Last Time Out
Youngstown State scored eight runs in the fourth inning in both games of a doubleheader sweep of St. Bonaventure on April 8 at the Covelli Sports Complex. The Penguins won the opener 8-0 in five innings, and they scored the final 10 runs in a 13-5, five-inning victory in game two. Kennedy Dean posted three RBIs in the opener and two more in the nightcap, bringing her career total at Youngstown State to 104. YSU had eight runs on seven hits in game one, and it exploded for 17 hits over its 12 outs at the plate in game two. Bella Meyer and Bree Kohler both had three hits in the second contest.
Up Next
Youngstown State plays its final home Horizon League series went it hosts Green Bay, April 17-18 at the Covelli Sports Complex. The Penguins and Phoenix will play a single game on Friday at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Between games on Saturday, the Penguins will honor their seniors on Senior Day.
About Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst enters the week with an overall record of 7-23 and is coming off a 15-5 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson on April 12. Leading the Lakers is Braylynn Kelly with a .394 batting average while Gabrielle DeLuca is batting .321 with five home runs and a team-best 22 RBIs. DeLuca also leads the staff with three wins.
Penguins Set Program RBI, HL Single-Game Run Marks
In its 20-0 win over Robert Morris on April 4, Youngstown State set the program's single-game RBI record and the single-game mark for most runs scored in a Horizon League game. The Penguins' 19 runs batted in broke the old mark of 16 set in 2015 and matched in 2016, and Youngstown State's 20 runs scored are the second-most in program history while the 19 hits rank tied for third on the single-game list.
Penguins' Bats Alive
Overall, Youngstown State is batting .338 as a team and has eight players hitting .311 or better. Senior Emma Gilkerson leads the Penguins with a .385 batting average and is tied for the team lead with eight home runs while junior Lydia Wilkerson is second on the team with a.381 average. Senior Kennedy Dean is batting .374 with eight homers, and a team-high 47 runs batted in. She needs two more RBIs to tie the single-season record and three more to break the mark. Selah Moyer has bumped her average up to .373 and has 37 runs batted in.
RISP-y Business
Youngstown State has been producing well in the clutch this season. As a team, the Penguins are batting .394 with runners in scoring position, .433 with the bases loaded, .357 with runners on, and .344 with two outs. Of Youngstown State's 251 RBIs, 107 have been recorded with two outs.
