Muntean to speak to Curbstone

Rick Muntean, a Woodrow Wilson High School graduate and former Minor League Baseball executive, will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon and the public is welcome to attend. For those arriving early, the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

Also, plans are underway for the annual Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame Induction ceremony which is set for May 4 at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman. The keynote speaker will be former Cleveland Browns stand out running back Greg Pruitt.

Tickets are now available by contacting Patty Schuley at 3302078157. The deadline for purchasing tickets is April 25.

This year’s event is sponsored by Briarfield Health Care Centers and Ed and Diane Reese.

YSU softball falls to Green Bay

Green Bay, Wis. — Freshman pitcher Kelsey Ogin scattered just five hits and struck out five batters, but the Youngstown State softball team (11-34, 3-13 Horizon League) dropped the series opener to Green Bay (10-25, 3-13), 3-0, on Friday at King Park.

The Phoenix used a three-run fifth inning to secure the victory. Claire Cushman led off the frame with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and moved to third on a wild pitch. After a pop out third, Madyson Baker lifted a fly ball down the left-field line that landed for a single and plated Cushman with the game’s first run.

Sara Ebner followed with a two-out, two-run home run to give the Phoenix a three-run advantage.

The Penguins were limited to four total base runners and three singles by Ayla Ray (Austintown Fitch), Elyssa Imler, and Lydia Wilkerson.

Youngstown State and Green Bay close out the three-game series with a doubleheader today. First pitch of the twinbill is set for 1 p.m.

Penguins win shootout in Milwaukee

Franklin, Wis. — Youngstown State’s baseball team scored 16 unanswered runs and had all nine players record at least one hit in a 20-14 victory over Milwaukee on Friday afternoon at Franklin Field.

A lightning delay that lasted nearly two hours sparked the offense for the Penguins, who flipped a 10-5 deficit into a 20-10 lead after the prolonged break. YSU’s biggest deficit in the game was 10-4 after four innings.

Brayden Kuriger, Caleb Hadley (Warren JFK) both had three hits, and Kyle Fossum, Tommy Rover and Garrett Cutting each homered for the Penguins, who evened the series with the Panthers. Fossum’s homer was his 16th of the season, which is one shy of Youngstown State’s single-season record. Hadley and Jay Wrona both scored four runs, and Hadley had four RBIs.

Milwaukee’s three through fifth batters in its lineup each had three hits, and the Panthers had one more hit than the Penguins but did not hit any homers while their pitchers issued 13 walks.

The Panthers scored five runs in the first inning, and they added a run in the second on a double play to go up 6-0. YSU shaved four runs off the deficit in the third when Fossum plated Wrona on a sacrifice fly, and Rover homered with Hadley and Eli Brown aboard.

Milwaukee extended its lead to 9-4 with three runs on the third, two of which came on RBI groundouts, and a sacrifice fly in the fourth gave the Panthers their 10-4 advantage.

Fossum’s 16th dinger of the season came in the top of the fifth, and the lightning delay followed. YSU scored three runs in the sixth to get within 10-8, and Cutting’s two-run blast in the seventh knotted the score at 10.

Kuriger delivered the go-ahead single that plated Rover, and the Penguins proceeded to score seven times in the inning. YSU added three runs in the ninth to go up 20-10, and Milwaukee scored four runs in the ninth for the final tally.

Harun Pelja was award the victory for the Penguins after throwing four quality innings out of the bullpen. He entered in the fifth and pitched until the ninth, and seven of his 12 outs were by strikeout.

Youngstown State will try to win the series on Saturday with the finale starting at 1 p.m.

Thomas restores lead at Hilton Head

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Justin Thomas made a pair of birdies on the crusty, breezy back nine at Harbour Town to salvage a 2-under 69 for a two-shot lead Friday at the RBC Heritage, his first 36-hole lead in more than four years.

Thomas is winless since the 2022 PGA Championship and is weary of the topic. He also knows there’s a long way to go on a course that demands precision while allowing a low score.

Si Woo Kim had one of those low scores, a blistering start that had him at 8 under through 12 holes until he settled for a 64. He was two shots behind, along with Russell Henley (68).

Six players were within four shots of the lead, a group that includes defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who didn’t have much go right in his round of 70. On the scoring pins, he was out of position. He was in the fairway for the tucked pins. There wasn’t as many birdie opportunities, but he’s still right in the mix.

Andrew Novak (65) and Tommy Fleetwood (66) were three behind.

It was shaping up to be a wide-open weekend at a tournament where no one seems to stress too much coming a week after the Masters. Not everyone, of course. The mystery Friday were the four golf grips — the shaft snapped in half — outside the scoring trailer.

Thomas was in a far better mood, especially the end of the round. One of those tough pins was on the 13th, just to the right of steep bunker framed by railroad ties. He played wedge beautifully to the wide front of the green and holed a 15-foot putt.