Penguins earn split with Niagara

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to post a 9-1 victory and secure a doubleheader split against Niagara on Tuesday afternoon at the Covelli Sports Complex. The Penguins lost game one, 10-2.

The Penguins improve to 20-14 overall while Niagara moves to 1-23 on the season.

Owning a 3-1 lead, the Penguins sent 10 batters to the plate for a six-run fifth that enforces the mercy run. Leila Staszak led off the inning with a single and scored on Lydia Wilerson’s triple down the right-field line. Following a walk to Emma Gilkerson, Tai Turner reached on a fielding error but plated Wilkerson to extend the YSU lead to 5-1.

Kennedy Dean and Selah Moyer delivered run-scoring singles that drove in Gilkerson and Turner, and Staszak ripped a bases-loaded, two-run double to left-center field to end the game.

The Purple Eagles took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning, but Dean knotted the game with a solo home run, her seventh this season, on the first pitch of the bottom of the second. Turner gave the Penguins a 3-1 lead on a towering two-run shot, her fourth home run, to left field in the bottom of the third inning.

Sophomore pitcher Isabella O’Brien (McDonald) struck out six in a complete-game three-hit victory, her fourth of the season.

Dean went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs while Staszak was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and Turner drove in three runs.

In the opener, Wilkerson and Moyer each went 2-for-3 while Dean and Moyer drove in the Penguins’ runs.

Youngstown State hosts St. Bonaventure in a doubleheader today. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at the Covelli Sports Complex.

YSU’s Porter finishes in top 10

BATAVIA — Redshirt junior Michael Porter (McDonald) finished in a tie for seventh individually to lead the Youngstown State men’s golf team at The Jewell hosted by Northern Kentucky, which concluded on Tuesday from Elks Run Golf Club.

Porter earned his third top 10 finish of the season with a three-round score of 216 (74-74-68). The redshirt junior’s three-under-par 68 in the third and final round on Tuesday featured nine pars and six birdies as he fired a three-under-par 33 on the front nine.

The Penguins finished 12th on the team leaderboard with a three-round total of 905. YSU recorded team scores of 306 and 303 in the first two rounds, respectively, on Monday before concluding the two-day, 54-hole event with a 296 in the final session on Tuesday.

Ryan Sam (Boardman) finished tied for 37th with a three-round score of 225 (81-70-74). The senior’s 1-under-par 70 in the second round included 10 pars, two birdies and a pair of eagles which came at No. 3 and No. 6.

Playing as an individual, Josh Weiner finished tied for 42nd with a three-round total of 226 (76-73-77). The redshirt sophomore matched his season low round with a 73 in the second session that featured 10 pars and three birdies. Weiner also recorded an ace on the par-three No. 12 at Elks Run Golf Club during the opening round of action on Monday.

Jordan Kish concluded the tournament with a three-round score of 227 (71-80-76). The sophomore’s even-par 71 in the first round on Monday included 10 pars and four birdies as he carded a two-under-par 34 on the front nine.

Nolan Shilling finished with a three-round total of 237 (80-79-78) while Rocco Turner (Cardinal Mooney) recorded an opening-round 84 before withdrawing prior to Monday’s second round.

Oakland claimed the tournament title at 15 over par with a three-round team total of 867. Detroit Mercy finished as the runner-up with an 871 while Butler placed third with an 874.

Leo Zurovac and Logan Sutto of Butler each turned in a three-round 213 to finish tied atop the individual leaderboard.

Youngstown State will continue its spring schedule on Sunday and Monday with the Wright State Invitational at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro.

Buffs’ QB was drunk during crash

BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit for driving under the influence when he died in a single-car crash near Boulder, according to the autopsy report from the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Ponder, 23, was killed early on March 1 when he lost control on a curve and hit a guardrail. The car he was driving, a 2023 Tesla, struck an electrical line pole and rolled down an embankment.

His blood alcohol level was .167, according to the autopsy report. The limit is 0.08. There is a lower limit, of .05, for driving while ability impaired.

Ponder was pronounced dead at the scene. The autopsy report lists “multiple blunt force injuries” as the cause of death and “accident” as the manner of death.

On Tuesday, the Colorado State Patrol said it’s “conducting a comprehensive investigation which would take a look at factors such as speed, impairment, distracted driving, and more.”

Ponder’s mom, Catrina Hughes, released a statement, saying “what matters most to me is who Dominiq was as a person. He was a determined student-athlete, a leader, and someone with a huge heart who fiercely loved his family, his teammates, and the game of football.

“If anything good can come from this loss, it’s the conversations it can start about responsible decision-making, supporting young adults, and making good choices even in ordinary moments. One bad decision can alter everything.”

Ponder’s family has started a GoFundMe page and a foundation called “Dominiq Ponder 7/22.” His foundation will support student-athletes, children’s hospitals and families dealing with medical challenges, and help assist with responsible decision-making.

“A big part of his legacy will be to encourage young people to please make responsible choices and if possible to have the courage to step in for their friends when one of them isn’t thinking clearly for themselves,” Hughes wrote. “Kids need to know that it’s OK to intervene, do anything you can do, one small decision can save a life. Don’t be afraid even if it’s uncomfortable. A difficult conversation is easier than a lifetime of loss.”

Ponder played in two games for the Buffaloes last season. The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Florida began his collegiate career at Bethune-Cookman before transferring.