March 13, 2009 | Game One | Game Two

Late Rally Lifts Softball Over LaSalle, 5-4, Snaps Rebel Games Skid

    Kissimmee, Fla. -- The Youngstown State finally exorcised its Rebel Spring Games demons on Friday the 13th with a come-from-behind 5-4 victory in eight innings over LaSalle in its final spring break game at the Osceola County Softball Complex.

    The Penguins also dropped a 2-1 eight-inning affair to Bryant earlier in the day.

    Trailing LaSalle, 4-2, after six innings, sophomore Kim Klonowski, junior Autumn Grove and senior Allyse Ledford each walked to load the bases to lead off the top of the seventh inning.

    Freshman Ashley Conger, who went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in, laced a single up the middle to plate pinch-runner Jessica Sciacca and Grove to knot the game at 4-4.

    The Penguins, though, left the bases loaded in the top of the frame.

    After denying the Explorers in the bottom of the seventh, the Penguins took full advantage of the international tie-breaker rule.

    Freshman Jordan Ingalls, who picked up her first collegiate win, was placed on second in the top of the eighth. Ingalls advanced to third on Haley Thomas' sacrifice bunt and scored the go-ahead run on an error. Thomas moved to second on the same error and was sacrificed to third but the Penguins could not add the insurance run.

    In the bottom half of the eighth, the Penguins made two outstanding defensive plays to squelch a LaSalle come-back attempt.

    With a runner on third and one out, the Explorers suicide-squeeze attempt failed after Ledford forced DiTommaso  into a run-down after the bunt.

    After a single to left, an error and an intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs, freshman shortstop Kristen Philen diving stop up the middle forced Massaro out at second to end the game.

    The Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning after a sacrifice fly by Grove and a run-scoring single by Conger.

    LaSalle answered with three in the bottom half of the first and added another in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.

    Against Bryant, junior Cheryl Cale, who picked up the save against LaSalle, tossed a complete-game three hitter with three strikeouts but was the hard-luck loser.

    The Penguins took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when freshman Kristen Philen single through the left side to score Thomas.

    Bryant scored an unearned runs in the top of the seventh and eighth innings to steal the 2-1 victory.

    The Penguins open Horizon League action against Loyola, Saturday, March 21, with a doubleheader at McCune Park. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.