The Youngstown State softball team fell behind 9-2 after four innings and rallied to get within one, but the Penguins’ comeback attempt fell short in an 11-9 loss to Valparaiso in the 2013 Horizon League Championship Game.

The Penguins’ season ends with an overall record of 19-27, while the Crusaders won their second straight Horizon League Championship and improved to 34-25.  YSU won in the first two rounds of the tournament before almost pulling out the big upset in this game.

Senior Caroline Krombach was named the Defensive Player of the Championship. Krombach threw out runners at third base and home plate from right field. Juniors Casey Crozier, Courtney Ewing, Haley Knight, and Samantha Snodgrass were all named to the all-tournament team.

In the fifth, Snodgrass and Ewing led off the frame with back-to-back singles then Rumph doubled home Snodgrass to cut the deficit to 9-3. Ewing scored on a Castiglione line-out double play and senior Sarah Gabel belted a solo home run to cut the lead down to 9-5.

After the Crusaders added a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Penguin plated four in the top of the sixth to get within one, 10-9. Singles by Sarah Ingalls and Krombach and a walk to Knight loaded the bases to start the frame.

Two straight singles by Ewing and Rumph scored pinch-runner Shayla DeCapita and  Krombach, and Castiglione’s two-run single plated pinch-runner Samantha Troxell and Ewing.

Trailing 2-0, Ingalls hit a two-out double in the top of the second that scored Castiglione with the Penguins first run.

Rumph tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the third with a triple to center field.

The Crusaders went up 4-2 in the bottom half of the third on Jessica Bouchard‘s two-run home run and then 9-2 by scoring five in the bottom of the fourth.