YSU wins shootout with Rockets

TOLEDO — The Youngstown State baseball team picked their fourth straight win defeating Toledo 11-10 on Tuesday afternoon at Scott Park.

The Penguins, coming off a three-game series sweep at Oakland, improve to 9-30 overall while the Rockets fall to 17-23.

YSU banged out 13 hits, including four home runs and two doubles, to fend off Toledo which had 12 hits in the contest.

Belting home runs for the Guins were Garrett Cutting, Ryan Schummer, Teddy Ruffner and Brady Shannon (Ursuline). Shannon’s home run was his 12th on the season which leads the team.

On the mound, Aidan English (South Range) pitched three solid innings of relief allowing just two unearned runs on three hits and racked up three strikeouts to earn the victory. Mikey Rodriques came on with two outs and two on in the seventh and retired the first four batters he faced.

In the ninth, the Rockets pulled within one on a two-out RBI single by Jackson Hiatt. With runners on first and second, Sumner Estes replaced Rodriques and got Cade Baker to fly out to end the game.

English earned the win while Estes picked up the save.

The Penguins jumped in front with three runs in the top of the second inning. Misael Uriepero and Nic Goodwin hit back-to-back one-out singles to set up Cutting’s three-run home run to right center field.

The Rockets responded with four runs in the bottom half of the second inning to move ahead 4-3. Liam Arsich was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on an RBI single from JP Wagner. Cade Baker’s three-run homer to left center with two outs later in the frame lifted Toledo into the lead.

YSU countered with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to regain a 5-4 edge. Alex Jang hit a leadoff double before Ruffner belted a two-run blast to left field to put the Guins back in front.

Toledo evened the score at 5-5 with a single run in the home half of the third. Charlie Scholvin hit a leadoff single and Cole Cahill followed with an RBI double to left center field.

The Penguins recaptured a 7-5 lead in the top of the fourth as Chyran Humphries drew a leadoff walk before Schummer’s two-run homer to center field.

After the Rockets tied the contest at seven, Shannon’s home run in the top of the fifth put YSU in front 8-7.

In the sixth, Cutting doubled to lead off the inning and came into score when with runners at first and third, he came home on a throw down to second following a wild pitch. Schummer who walked earlier in the frame came home on a single by Jang.

Leading 10-9 in the bottom of the seventh, Mikey Rodriques came in with two on and two out and retired Baker on a flyout to center. In the top of the ninth, Uriepero singled home Brevin Smith for a key insurance run.

Uriepero had three hits to lead the offense while Cutting, Schummer, Jang and Ruffner had two hits apiece.

YSU and the Rockets will be back in action against one another today at new-look Eastwood Field. First pitch for the contest is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Penguins fall twice to Kent State

KENT — The Youngstown State softball team dropped a doubleheader to Kent State, 7-1, 11-6 on Tuesday afternoon at Devine Diamond.

The Penguins fall to 26-17 overall while the Golden Flashes improve to 19-25.

In the opener, the Penguins tallied just four hits led by Lydia Wilkerson’s triple.

Senior Kennedy Dean went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in to lead the Penguins offense in the nightcap. Junior Tai Turner went 2-for-4 with a double and scored three times. Senior Bree Kohler (South Range) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and freshman Leila Staszak also had two hits.

The Penguins jumped out to an early lead on a run-scoring single by Kohler in the top of the second.

Kent State knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the frame, but Youngstown State took a 3-1 lead after back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Turner and Dean.

The Golden Flashed knotted the game for the second time with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Youngtown State regained the lead for the third time on Staszak’s single that plated Kohler for a 4-3 advantage.

Kent State scored four times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-4 lead before a run-scoring double by Dean in the fifth and a sacrifice fly by Wilkerson in the sixth cut the deficit to 7-6.

Kent State added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Youngstown State returns to Horizon League action for a three-game series against IU Indy, Friday and Saturday, in Indianapolis, Ind.

Tomlin joining NBC’s pregame show

Mike Tomlin is going from the glare of an NFL sideline to the glare of television lights.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers coach will join NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” coverage as a pregame analyst, two people briefed on the move told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because NBC has not announced the move. The Athletic was the first to report on Tomlin.

Tomlin stepped down in January after 19 seasons as Steelers coach and was the most sought after free agent by the networks. NBC had a studio opening as it is retooling its “Football Night in America” pregame show. Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy announced last month that he was told he would not be back after 17 years.

Host Maria Taylor and former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett are expected to return. Devin McCourty’s contract expired at the conclusion of last season, but NBC would like to re-sign him. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and fantasy sports expert Matthew Berry are also expected to continue their roles.

The futures of Jac Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison and Chris Simms remain undetermined.

NBC has had its main studio crew at its network sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, with Harrison, Collinsworth and Dungy at the game locations in previous seasons, but NBC is considering having its entire studio show from the stadium.