YSU knocked out of Horizon League tournament by RMU, NKU

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU’s Conchetta Rinaldi puts a ball in play during the Penguins’ first game against Robert Morris on Friday.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State came into the Horizon League tournament this week flying high after earning the bracket’s No. 1 seed for winning the regular season title.

But the Penguins were pushed to the brink of elimination on Friday, after rain washed out the second day of the tournament on Thursday.

After dropping their first game of the double-elimination tournament to Robert Morris 3-1 in the afternoon, the top-seeded Penguins’ season came to an end late Friday night with a 6-3 loss to Northern Kentucky.

Despite leading the Horizon League in hitting (batting average, runs and total hits) during the regular season, YSU struggled at bat during its two games on Friday, especially early on in each game.

The Penguins recorded just four total hits against the Colonials and had one hit through five innings against NKU, finishing with five in the game.

In the second game, after four scoreless innings, NKU exploded for all six of its runs in the top of the fifth inning.

YSU didn’t get on the board until the bottom of the sixth inning off a Kennedy Dean double that scored Sara Fessler.

Autumn Behlke hit a two-run blast to center field in the bottom of the seventh to cut into deficit, but YSU’s last ditch rally ultimately fell short.

In the first game, a two-run home run from RMU’s Catalina Saxen in the top of the first inning proved to be the difference against the Colonials for YSU.

After a lead-off walk for RMU’s Kaylyn Hopf, Saxen took YSU ace Sophie Howell deep over the left-field fence for the first runs of the game.

RMU was on the verge of scoring again in the top of the second inning, getting two runners into scoring position, before Howell was able to see off the threat.

Hits were hard to come by against RMU early on, but a pair of hits from Lydia Wilkerson and Conchetta Rinaldi in the bottom of the fourth inning lead to a run for the Penguins. Rinaldi’s single was reviewed by the umpires and was eventually ruled to be safe, scoring YSU’s first and only run of the game.

The Penguins would keep the Colonials off the scoresheet until the top of the sixth inning, when RMU’s Jess Matheny added an insurance run off an RBI sac fly.

Then, despite getting Rinaldi’s second hit and a walk from Hailey Niederkohr, the Penguins were unable to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In the second game of the day on Friday, No. 3 seed Cleveland State beat No. 2 seed Oakland 2-1 in a 12-inning marathon contest. Then the Norse defeated the Golden Grizzlies for the chance to face YSU.

The Penguins finished the regular season 36-17 overall and 20-4 in conference play.