Akron Softball Falls To Youngstown State In Pair Of One Run Games

Tuesday, March 26

Youngstown, OH

3:00 PM

University of Akron

6-15-2

Youngstown State

9-17

Akron

Youngstown State

Photo by: Mike Slade

Akron Softball Falls To Youngstown State In Pair Of One Run Games

March 26 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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Game One: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
Game Two: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Akron softball team traveled to western Ohio to compete in a non-conference doubleheader against Youngstown State and fell to the Penguins in a pair of one-run ballgames, 2-1 and 6-5, on Tuesday afternoon at the YSU Softball Complex in Youngstown, Ohio.

As Akron heads into its 2019 home opener at Lee Jackson Field, the Zips stand 6-16-2 overall while YSU improved to 10-17 on the day.

Game one of the afternoon was decided by just one run in a tight ballgame between the Zips and Penguins as YSU came out on top, 2-1.

The Penguins struck first on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs to hand YSU a 2-0 lead.

Redshirt Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.) continues to hit the ball well and lifted her team-leading sixth home run to left-center field on a 1-1 pitch in the fourth inning to trim the deficit to one run (2-1).

Junior Adrian Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) made her 12^thstart of the season in the circle for Akron. The righty tossed her third complete game of the campaign, gave up two runs, one of which was earned, surrendered just three hits and struck out three.

Jascoe's home run in the second fourth inning was Akron's lone hit in the contest.

Game two was a nail biter up until the final inning of play with the Penguins sneaking out a 6-5 win over the Zips.

Akron tallied a day-high nine hits in the nightcap en route to five runs. Jascoe went a perfect 3-for-3 in the tilt, including two RBI to expand her team-high 19 runs batted in. Junior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) was the second Zip to tally a multi-hit performance going 2-for-3, drove in a run and scored one. Redshirt senior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nev.) posted one hit but drove in a pair of RBI and scored a run, while seniors Laura Lakins (Akron, Ohio) and Jordan Crews (Waco, Ga.) along with freshman Camryn Michallas (Hungtington, W. Va.) each notched a hit in the scorebook.

Akron opened the scoring efforts in game two in the top half of the second inning has Holzman ripped a single up the middle that scored junior Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.) from third.

YSU bounced back in the third inning and scored three runs to claim a 3-1 lead, its first of the game.

Following a scoreless fourth inning that saw only one base runner by either team, the Zips and Penguins scored a combined six runs in the fifth inning, four to Akron and two Youngstown State.

Jascoe's second hit of the affair was a two-RBI double to centerfield that scored Holzman and Michallas who hit back-to-back singles to open the inning. In the next at-bat, Rodriguez handed UA a 5-3 advantage with a two-run blast to left field, her fourth of the season.

The Penguins two runs in the bottom half of the fifth knotted the game up at five-all heading into the final two innings of play.

Akron was set down 1-2-3 in the sixth and threatened to score the go-ahead run in the seventh but the Zips were unsuccessful in its suicide squeeze attempt and left a runner on third.

Freshman Amaya Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) toed the rubber for the Zips in the bottom of the seventh. After striking out the first batter, the Penguins strung together three straight hits including a walk-off single to centerfield.

The Zips return to MAC play and will open their 2019 home schedule at Lee Jackson Field on March 29-30 when Akron hosts Western Michigan in a three-game series. The Zips and Broncos are slated for one game on Friday, March 29 at 3 p.m. before a doubleheader awaits the two squads on Saturday, March 30 (1 & 3 p.m.).