Indianapolis, Ind. – The Youngstown State softball team earned at least a share of the 2026 Horizon League Regular Season Championship after sweeping IU Indy, 12-11, 8-5, in a doubleheader on Saturday at the IU Indy Softball Complex.
This marks the Penguins' third regular-season championship in the last six years, and Youngstown State will host the 2026 Horizon League Softball Championship, May 6-9, at the Covelli Sports Complex.
The Penguins improve to 28-17 overall and 11-3 in Horizon League play and IU Indy falls to 7-36 overall and 4-10 in league action. Youngtown State will win the outright title with its next Horizon League victory.
In the opener, the Penguins scored seven runs over the last three frames to force extra innings, and senior Emma Gilkerson's solo home run in the top of the ninth inning lift the Penguins to the one-run victory.
The Penguins were down to their last out and trailed 11-8 in the top of the seventh when Kennedy Dean ripped a game-tying three-run inside-the-park home run to right field scoring Tai Turner and Bella Meyer.
The Penguins trailed by as many as five runs, 8-3, through three innings, but trimmed the lead to 8-6 following a Gabbie Evans solo home run in the fourth and Meyer's two-run double in the top the fifth.
The Jaguars extended their lead to 10-6 in the bottom of the fifth, and the Penguins answered with pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Gilkerson led off the inning with a home run to left field and Turner tripled and scored on Ayla Ray's fielder's choice to get back within two, 10-8.
IU Indy added a run in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 11-8.
Youngstown State jumped out in front with a three-run second inning. Meyer drove in Ray with a double to right field and Meyer and Kohler scored on a Jaguar error.
The Jaguars scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning and added two more runs in the bottom of the third.
Meyer went 3-for-5 with three runs batted in while Gilkerson went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three runs batted in. Kohler also had two hits and scored two runs.
The Penguins opened the nightcap with a run in the second inning and four more third to take a 5-0 lead. Sacrifice flies by Ray in the second and Turner in the third put the Penguins ahead, 2-0. Dean homered for the second time on the day, a three-run shot to left-center, that gave the Penguins a 5-0 advantage.
Youngstown State added three more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 8-0. Leila Staszak and Naomi Bottomlee each posted run-scoring singles and Gilkerson delivered a double to left field to plate Bottomlee with the Penguins' eighth run.
The Jaguars scored once in the fifth and added four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Bottomlee, Turner, Kohler and Staszak each had two hits to lead the Penguins.
Youngstown State and IU Indy close out the series with a single game on Sunday, April 26, at 12 p.m.
