Padraig O'Shaughnessy hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit double in the ninth inning, and the Youngstown State baseball team squashed a comeback attempt by Pitt in a 7-5 win at Charles L. Cost Field on Wednesday afternoon.
O'Shaughnessy's one-out double in the ninth drove in Dominick Bucko, and Lucas Nasonti provided an insurance run with a sacrifice fly. Those runs came after Pitt had scored five consecutive runs to overcome YSU's 5-0 lead.
Youngstown State earned its third straight victory, and its record is now even on the season at 5-5. Pitt, which had won eight straight games coming into the contest, is now 10-2.
Bucko was 2-for-4 and was the only player in the game with multiple hits. Jeff Wehler scored twice at the top of the lineup and stole three bases, and the Penguins stole seven bases as a team. In total, eight different YSU batters had hits. On the mound, reliever Joel Hake broke the program's career appearances record by making his 86th as a Penguin. He broke Ryan Sellman's previous mark that had stood since 2008.
YSU starter Jon Snyder blanked Pitt over the first three innings, and the Penguins extended their scoreless innings streak dating back to their weekend series at Abilene Christian to 22 innings before Pitt plated three runs in the sixth.
Wehler scored in the top of the first, and YSU went on to score the game's first five runs. The junior drew his first of two walks to start the game, and he stole second and third base to increase his career total to 60. Wehler then raced home from third on a wild pitch to give YSU a 1-0 lead.
YSU's speed was on display again in the fifth as it extended the lead to 3-0. Wehler walked again to start the inning, and Phillip Glasser reached on a bunt single to put two runners on. That pair moved up 90 feet on a double steal, and Wehler scored on an error when Pitt tried to turn a 2-3-2 double play on a strikeout. After Andre Good walked, another double steal put Good and Glasser in scoring position to set up Braeden O'Shaughnessy's RBI ground out.
The Penguins tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning as Wehler singled in Dylan Carpenter and Glasser brought in Turner Grau on a bunt. Carpenter singled and Grau walked to start the inning, and Nasonti sacrificed them to second and third to set up Wehler and Glasser.
Pitt cut into the lead by scoring three runs on a hit and three walks in the bottom half of the inning. Three walks loaded the bases with one out, and Kyle Hess's double to right brought in Sky Duff and David Yanni. The third run came in on a sacrifice fly by Samuel Frontino. The Panthers then tied the score in the eighth with the only hit in the inning being a leadoff bunt single. With two outs, back-to-back walks and a wild pitch allowed David Yanni to score from third. The tying run came across on a balk.
In the top of the ninth, Bucko hit a one-out double, and Padraig O'Shaughnessy followed with a pinch-hit double down the right-field line to put the Penguins back up 6-5. Grau hit an infield single that moved pinch-runner Cameron Murray to third, and Nasonti hit a sacrifice fly to center that plated Murray.
Pitt threatened in the ninth by getting the tying run on first with one out, but Gary Clift Jr. induced back-to-back fly outs to preserve the win.
Clift Jr. improved to 2-0 with the victory, holding the Panthers scoreless over their final four outs. Panthers reliever Chase Smith was charged with the loss, with the two runs in the ninth being the only ones he allowed in his three innings of work.
Youngstown State will begin a three-game series at N.C. Central on Friday at 6 p.m.
