Video: Game Highlights
DETROIT (5/3/16) – The University of Detroit Mercy softball team fell on the wrong side of a doubleheader sweep as the visiting Youngstown State Penguins came into Buysse Ballpark and picked up a pair of wins on Tuesday afternoon.
The Penguins, the top hitting team in the Horizon League, blasted five homeruns as they slipped past Detroit in the opener, 6-2, and 8-5 in the nightcap.
YSU opened game one with two runs in the first inning and added two more in the third. Detroit answered with two in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by freshman
Jordan Manno and a sacrifice fly from sophomore
Savvy Ferstle.
Youngstown State added two more in the seventh and hung on for the 6-2 victory.
Paige Geanangel recorded the win for Youngstown. She allowed two runs over seven innings. Geanangel struck out five, walked five and gave up five hits.
Junior
Alexis Robison-Kohrs ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision and took the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) in seven innings, walking four and striking out three.
Manno went 1-for-3 with a RBI, while Ferstle was 1-for-1 with a RBI and walk. Junior
Laura Villagrana went 1-for-3 from the top of the order with a walk and a run scored.
In the nightcap, Manno went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI, but her bat was not enough as the Penguins slipped past the Titans, 8-5.
After a quiet start offensively, YSU struck quickly on a solo blast by Sarah Dowd in the top of the third.
Detroit responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame as Villagrana and Manno recorded RBI singles to push UDM ahead, 2-1.
Stevie Taylor put YSU back ahead in the fourth with a two-run shot to left and the Penguins extended the lead to 5-2 on a Dowd two-run homer – her second of the game and third of the day.
The Penguins added a run in the sixth, but Detroit closed the deficit with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Four straight hits by
Christa McGahuey, Ferstle,
Alyssa James and
Katy Severson pushed a run across with one out. A RBI groundout from
Jenna Reeves plated another run, before YSU escaped the jam on a sharp grounder to second.
Youngstown State pushed the lead back to four with two runs in the top of the seventh and Manno smoked a line drive homer to right center in the bottom of the seventh to cap the scoring.
Severson went 2-for-3 and Manno was 2-for-4 as six different Titans picked up hits in the loss.
Caitlyn Minney got the win for Youngstown State despite allowing five runs over seven innings. She struck out three, walked three and surrendered eight hits.
The Penguins and Titans return to action Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. for the regular season finale from Buysse Ballpark. Detroit will be looking for the program's first 18-win season since 2005 on Wednesday.
