The Penguins and Crusaders are slated to play a single game, Friday, April 10. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. On Saturday, April 11, the two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.

    The Crusaders enter the week with an overall mark of 18-13 and a Horizon League record of 4-5. Valparaiso also takes on Notre Dame in a doubleheader on Thursday, April 9.

The Penguins and Cruaders have met 15 times previously with Valpo owning a 10-5 advantage in the all-time series.

The Penguins split a doubleheader against Toledo on Wednesday afternoon losing 12-4, in the opener and defeating the Rockets, 11-2, in the nightcap. Sophomore Kim Klonowski went 5-for-7 with a double, two home runs and seven runs batted in. Freshman Haley Thomas also went 5-for-7 with a home run and scored six times in the two contests. Junior Cheryl Cale picked up her fifth victory of the season tossing a four-hitter in the 11-2 win.

The Youngstown State softball team is on the verge of picking up the program’s 500th victory since the school instituted fast-pitch softball in 1980. The Penguins, who have 498 all-time victories, need just two more victories to accomplish that feat.

In the last month, sophomore Kim Klonowski has been on a tear. The native of Canton, Mich., is batting .364 (24-for-66) with eight runs scored, four doubles, five home runs and 17 runs batted in over the last 19 games. Klonowski also boasts a slugging percentage of .652 during that span. She is also batting .317 (13-for-41) with three home runs and seven runs batted in against Horizon League opponents.

Junior Cheryl Cale picked up her fifth win of the season after tossing a four-hitter in an 11-2 win over Toledo on Wednesday. Cale, who has 14 career victories, owns a 3-5 record with a 2.75 earned-run average against Horizon League opponents. She fired a nine-inning, five-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over Loyola (3/22) and a four-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory over UIC (4/4).

Over the last nine games, freshman shortstop Kristen Philen has increased her offensive productivity. Philen is batting .423 (11-for-26) with a double, home run, six runs batted in and a slugging percentage of .577 over that span. In her last four contests, she owns a four-game hitting streak, and is batting .500 (6-for-12) with a double, home run and five RBIs.

Freshman outfielder Haley Thomas’ batting average continues its meteoric ascent. Over the last 19 games, Thomas is batting .377 (23-for-61) with three doubles, 14 runs scored and four runs batted in. Thomas is also faring well against Horizon League opponents, batting .351 (13-for-37) with three doubles, a triple and five runs scored. On Wednesday in a doubleheader against Toledo, Thomas went 5-for-7 with her first career home run and scored six times.

By scoring four times in YSU’s 11-2 win over Toledo on Wednesday, freshman Haley Thomas became just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat. The last time a YSU player scored four times in a game was Debbie Garvin against Ohio State on May 1, 1981.

Valparaiso is currently 18-13 overall and 4-5 in the Horizon League. The Crusaders are led by Sara Strickland, who leads the team with a .378 batting average and Ashley Wolter, who is batting .368 with a team best seven home runs. Leading the Crusaders in the circle is Stephanie Kelly with a 6.4 record and a 1.83 earned run average.

Youngstown State is off for almost a week before engaging Horizon League foe Cleveland State in a three-game series, April 17-18, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sophomore Kristina Rendle has been giving Horizon League pitchers difficulty at the plate. The left-handed batting second baseman leads the Penguins with a .379 batting average against Horizon League foes. She also boasts a .448 slugging percentage and a .457 on-base percentage in league games.