Feb. 28, 2009 | Box Score

Déjà vu as Penguins Rally Late Again to Beat VMI, 9-4

    Lexington, Va. -- Youngstown State rallied from four runs down for the second straight day and defeated VMI 9-4 on Saturday morning at Gray-Minor Stadium.
    The Penguins, down 4-0 through five innings, scored three runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and five in the ninth. Junior Jacke Healey knocked in the game-winning run for the second straight day with a one-out RBI double that opened the flood gates.
    Ten Penguins batted in the ninth as YSU had six of its 14 hits in the inning. VMI helped with two errors, and all but one of YSU's runs was unearned. All 14 of YSU's hits came after the fourth inning, and six of those were doubles.
    Casey Holland went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Healey finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
    Trent Wood earned the win for the second consecutive game, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out five in three innings of relief.
    The Keydets struck first in the second when a leadoff double resulted in a run, but they left the bases loaded and popped out on a sacrifice bunt attempt with two runners on and nobody out. VMI also had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth after back-to-back walks to start the inning, but reliever Corey Vukovic limited the damage by giving up just a sacrifice fly.
     VMI worked out of a jam in the fifth when the Penguins had runners on second and third with nobody out and couldn't score, and it scored two runs on four hits after the first two batters were retired in the bottom of the inning to go ahead 4-0.
    From that point, VMI was held to two hits in the final four innings while YSU had 12.
    David Leon got things going for the Penguins in their three-run sixth with a one-out double to left center. Jeremy Banks then singled to right to put two runners on, and Healey followed with an RBI double down the left field line. Holland then doubled in Healeys and Banks for the Penguins' fourth straight hit that cut the margin to 4-3.
    VMI missed an opportunity to get a run back in the bottom of the sixth when it had runners at the corners with one out and did not score.
    YSU's Derek Carr hit a one-out double in the seventh and scored the tying run on Banks' bases-loaded ground out once Jason Reitenbach and Leon walked.
    The Penguins had a chance to go ahead in the eighth when they had the bases loaded and one out, but back-to-back strikeouts kept the score deadlocked at 4-4.
    Healey came through in the ninth with his one-out RBI double, plating Leon after he reached on an error to start the inning. Holland singled in Healey to make the score 6-4, and the Penguins went on to score three more runs on RBI singles from C.J. Morris and Reitenbach and another error.
    The Penguins will play at Virginia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m.