Detroit vs. Youngstown State Game 3 Stats (HTML)

Detroit sophomore pitcher Kara Spinelli (Newman, CA/Orestimba) allowed just two runs en route to tallying her fourth complete game of the season Thursday at Buysse Ballpark, but with two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh the Titans were unable to come up with a game-tying hit as they were clipped, 2-0, by Youngstown State in the conclusion of the three-game series.

Trailing by two entering their final at bat, sophomore shortstop Rachel Copple (Dearborn Hts., MI/Allen Park Cabrini) drew a one-out walk, and then advanced to third when the next batter, freshman right fielder Katie Schaus (Unionville, MI/Unionville-Sebewaing Area), hit a shot down the line that snuck through the legs of the Penguins' first baseman. With runners on the corners, sophomore Krissy Pitock (Carleton, MI/Carleton-Airport) came into pinch-run for Schaus, and promptly stole second, putting the tying run just a base hit away.

But YSU pitcher Cheryl Cale retired the next two Detroit batters swinging to seal the victory for the visitors.
“We really showed up in two of the three phases of softball today,” said UDM first-year head coach Sunny Jones. “Our pitching was the as good as it's been all year. Kara Spinelli pitched the best game I've seen her pitch. And defensively we made the big plays with two outs that we've struggled to make at times. We just didn't get timely hitting throughout the game.”

Spinelli scattered nine hits throughout the ballgame while walking two and striking out a pair as well, but the fielding struggles that plagued Detroit (2-25, 0-15 Horizon League) Wednesday were absent, and Youngstown State (12-22, 5-4 Horizon League) stranded 10 base runners in the contest.

YSU took the lead in the second inning on a leadoff solo home run from shortstop Kristen Philen. The Penguins would load the bases with one out following the home run and threatened to break the game open, but Spinelli struck out second baseman Kristina Rendle and then coaxed third baseman Vicky Rumph into a groundout to get out of the jam. Youngstown State increased the lead to 2-0 in the fourth on when a sacrifice fly center fielder Haley Thomas brought left fielder Autumn Grove in to score.

Spinelli tried to give herself some run support, notching of UDM's two hits in the game, a single back up the middle in the fifth. Sophomore third baseman Renee Zaccagni (Macomb, MI/Dakota) recorded the only other Titan hit of the game, a single to center in the fourth.

Detroit will get a day off Friday, but be back in action in Horizon League play with a three-game weekend series in Indianapolis against Butler University. The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a record of 31-9, and are 7-3 in HL play. Butler was last in action over the weekend, when they two out of three games against the University of Illinois-Chicago.