Castiglione's Walkoff Homer Leads Softball to Split

by YSU

Sunday, Feb 9, 2014 9:42 am

Spartanburg, S.C. -- Sophomore Miranda Castiglione belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Youngstown State softball team to a 6-5 win over North Carolina Central on Saturday night at the USC-Upstate Tournament. The Penguins lost to USC-Upstate, 12-4, earlier in the day.

With the win, the Penguins improve to 1-2 on the year.

Trailing 5-4 in the bottom half of the seventh, senior Sarah Ingalls led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Alexa Schmidt. Castiglione hammered an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for the walkoff homer.

NC Central jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning with the help of three Penguins errors. Those errors led to three unearned runs.

The Penguins responded with a four-run first inning keyed by an RBI-double by Samantha Snodgrass, a run-scoring single by Ingalls, a fielder's choice by Castiglione that plated Snodgrass, and a RBI-single by senior Haley Knight.

The game remained tied throught five innings when NCCU's Bria Hampton hit a solo home run to center field to give the Eagles a 5-4 lead.

Senior Courtney Ewing went 3-for-4 while Ingalls was 2-for-4 and sophomore Katie Smallcomb had two singles. Castiglione drove in three runs for the Penguins.

Senior Casey Crozier struck out five in the complete-game victory.

In the first game against USC-Upstate, Knight went 2-for-2 with two RBIs while sophomore Jordan Macey drove in two runs as well.

The Penguins close out the tournament against ACC-member Virginia, Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2:30 p.m.

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