Archive for the ‘YSU Baseball And Softball’ Category

Fans of Youngstown State Athletics now have the opportunity to purchase official YSU Under Armour gear at a discounted price on YSUSports.com for a limited time.

Through an agreement with Under Armour and the Penguins baseball team, fans can purchase apparel at a 15-percent discount from the original retail price. A percentage of every order placed goes toward a fundraiser for YSU baseball.

The direct URL to the online store is http://ysubase.itemorder.com/. There is also a link on the baseball page at YSUsports.com

“We are excited about this opportunity for our fans to purchase new Penguins Baseball Under Armour gear at a discounted price,” Youngstown State head coach Rich Pasquale said. “I know fans have been looking forward to buying YSU Under Armour gear, and now they have the opportunity to do that while supporting our program financially.”

Although the available items are mostly baseball-oriented, all fans can find something to support Penguins athletics. The online store features 21 different items, including jackets, polos, t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats and sackpacks. There are also three items exclusively for women. Most items will have the official “Y” logo embroidered on them, and some will have a baseball-specific logo. Select items have the option for a number to be added at an additional cost.

The first sale period runs through June 26, and orders will ship shortly after with an approximate delivery date of July 8. Another sale period will begin on June 27.

The online store is run by Kohlmyer Sporting Goods in Lorain, Ohio.

Former Youngstown State pitcher Phil Klein was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 30th round as the 924th overall selection in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday evening.

Klein, a native of Gahanna, Ohio, was a second-team All-Horizon League selection in 2011. For the campaign he was 5-5 with a 3.61 ERA. In 92.1 innings pitched, he led the conference with 105 strikeouts while setting a school record for starts with 15 during his senior campaign.

Youngstown State senior outfielder Joe Iacobucci has been named to the All-Tournament Team for his performance at the 2011 Horizon League Baseball Championship.

Iacobucci, a Boardman High graduate, hit a team-best .438, posted four RBIs and scored twice in leading the Penguins to a 2-2 record and third-place finish at the tournament.

He scored a run and drove in another in YSU’s 4-2 win over Milwaukee in the opening round. The senior then went 2-for-4 in a loss to Wright State and 3-for-4 with two RBIs in an elimination game against UIC. Iacobucci went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in his final collegiate game on Saturday, which was an 8-6 loss to Valparaiso.

2011 Horizon League All-Tournament Team

Damon McCormick, Valparaiso
Michael Schum, Wright State
Corey Davis, Wright State
Will Hagel, Valparaiso
Michael Moreman, Valparaiso
Zach Tanner, Wright State (MVP)
Justin Kopale, Wright State
Chris Manning, Valparaiso
Tristan Moore, Wright State
Joe Iacobucci, Youngstown State
Robbie Robinson, Valparaiso

Blake Aquadro threw 5.2 innings of shutout relief, and the Youngstown State baseball team got solid contributions throughout the line-up in a 12-7 win over UIC in an elimination game on Saturday in the Horizon League Baseball Championship.

Youngstown State will play another elimination game this evening against the loser of the winners’ bracket final between Wright State and Valparaiso.

The Penguins jumped out to an 8-1 lead, and Aquadro brought calmness once UIC got within one after four innings. While the sophomore lefty from Memphis, Tenn. kept putting up zeros, the offense added a run in the seventh and three more in the ninth.

YSU’s top five hitters in the line-up combined for 12 hits, eight runs and 11 RBIs. Freshman Chris Mitko drove in a game-high four runs, and leadoff hitter Drew Dosch scored four times. Jeremy Banks and Joe Iacobucci both had three hits and two RBIs.

UIC starter Tim Suminski struggled with his command early, and the Penguins took advantage by scoring four runs in three hits and four walks in 1.1 innings. A double play got Suminski out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, but he wasn’t as fortunate in the second.

After getting the leadoff runner, Suminski walked Jonathan Crist and Dan Hurlimann and Padraic Williams reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Dosch walked to force a run in, and Suminski handed the ball off to Collin Weyer.  Neil Schroth flew out to shallow center for the second out, but Banks drove in two with a single to left. Iacobucci singled on a hard shot right back at Weyer to load the bases, and Mitko came through with another two-run single to left to make the score 5-0.

Bill Turosky allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the second, and an 8-5 double play got him out of a bases loaded jam with one out.  A two-run single from Schroth and a sacrifice fly from Mitko in the third put the Penguins up 8-1.

UIC trimmed the lead to 8-4 in the third after a bases-loaded walk and a two-run double by Joe Betcher. The Flames then scored three more in the fourth to cut the margin to 8-7.  Ganek doubled in the first run to knock Turosky from the game, and Matt Serna brought in another run on a ground out.  Andy Leonard then singled in Ganek with two outs.

Neither team scored over the next two innings, and Iacobucci drove in Dosch with a two-out single in the seventh to make the score 9-7. The Penguins added three more insurance runs with two outs in the ninth. Iacobucci brought in Dosch with a sacrifice fly, Schroth scored on a wild pitch and Mitko drove in Banks.

Aquadro was not charged with a run in his 5.2 innings of work. He allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out two in his first win of the year. Suminski dropped to 0-2 with the loss.

Aquadro continued his recent hot streak in May. He entered the month with a 9.80 ERA, but he has allowed just five earned runs over his last 23.2 innings. He’s pitched in all three of YSU’s games in the tournament and has allowed one unearned run on six hits over 8.1 innings.

The Youngstown State baseball team scored four runs in the eighth and got an outstanding performance from senior pitcher Phil Klein to defeat Milwaukee 4-2 in a first-round game in the Horizon League Baseball Championship on Wednesday at Nischwitz Stadium.

The sixth-seeded Penguins advance to play top-seeded Wright State on Thursday at 7 p.m. No. 3 Milwaukee will play an elimination game at 11 a.m. against No. 5 Butler.

Klein allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out 10 in eight innings. He blanked the Panthers for the first seven innings and didn’t allow a run until there were two outs in the eighth.

Klein outdueled Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Chad Pierce, who also did not allow a run for the first seven innings.

“We got an outstanding outing today by Phil, going toe-to-toe with the Pitcher of the Year (Pierce),” YSU head coach Rich Pasquale said. “He showed that he can dominate today. He got good defense behind him, and we came up clutch for him in the eighth.”

Klein allowed two base-runners in the first and another in the second, and Milwaukee had its best chance to score early in the third. After a double play accounted for the first two outs, the next two Panthers reached to put runners at the corners. Klein got Paul Hoenecke to line out to Neil Schroth in center to end the inning. The Panthers had runners at the corners with two outs again in the sixth when Klein struck out Jonathan Capasso to end the inning.

The Penguins also had a chance early when two hits and a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the second, but Pierce worked out of it when Chris Mitko grounded back to the mound. After Jeremy Banks‘ two-out single in the third, Pierce did not allow another hit until the eighth.

With a high pitch counts to Penguin hitters, Pierce began to labor as the innings went on. He walked Drew Dosch to start the eighth, and Banks’ single to center ended the hitless drought. David Leon then reached on an infield hit to load the bases with one out. Pierce walked Joe Iacobucci to force in the game’s first run, and he left after starting pinch-hitter Jonathan Crist off with a ball.

Greg Blohowiak came in for relief, and Crist laid down a bunt single near the first base line to bring in Banks. Dan Hurlimann singled through the right side with the infield drawn in to plate Leon, and Iacobucci scored on Padraic Willams‘ fielder’s choice.

After the long lay-off, Klein allowed a single and a walk to start the bottom of the eighth. He got two big outs when Doug Dekoning flew out and Sam Sivilotti struck out, but Klein beaned Sam Koenig to load the bases.  Jonathan Capasso hit a two-run single to center on an 0-2 pitch, but Klein got Drew Pearson to ground out back to the mound to end the threat.

Klein handed the ball off to Blake Aquadro in the ninth after throwing 140 pitches, and Aquadro earned his first collegiate save. The Panthers had the winning run at the plate after a hit batsman and bunt single, but Aquadro got Dekoning to fly out to right to end the game.

Klein’s 10 strikeouts against the Panthers brought his career total to 258. He moved into second place on YSU’s all-time list, surpassing Justin Thomas (250) and Dave Dravecky (251). Klein also set a new single-season record by making his 15th start of the year.

Sophomore Vicky Rumph was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Softball First-Team and junior Jordan Ingalls was a third-team selection, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced on Thursday.

Rumph is the first softball player in school history to earn first-team honors, and 2011 is the first time in school history more than one softball player received academic all-district laurels.

Rumph, a who carries a 4.0 grade-point average in exercise science, is batting .314 with three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 25 runs batted in this season.

In her career, Rumph owns a career average of .321 with 12 home runs, 51 runs batted in and 48 runs scored in 93 games.

Ingalls, who leads the team with a .376 batting average, carries a 3.59 grade-point average in physical education. This season, Ingalls leads the team with nine doubles, four doubles and 38 runs batted in, which is the third most in a single-season.

A career .346 hitter, Ingalls has played in 143 straight games and has belted 11 career home runs.

The last softball player to earn all-district honors was McKenzie Bedra, who made third-team in 2008. Kelly Murphy was the first softball player to garner academic all-district honors with a second-team selection in 2004.

The Youngstown State softball program will celebrate Senior Day as the Penguins host Green Bay in the 2011regular-season series finale, May 7-8, at McCune Park in Canfield, Ohio. The seniors will be honored prior to the 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, May 7.

The Guins will honor seniors Erin Gilmour, Kim Klonowski and Kristina Rendle prior to Saturday’s first game. Gilmour joined the program in 2010 and has served as one of the Guins’ top pinch-runners. Klonowski is a four-year letterwinner and ranks tied for third all-time with 18 career home runs. Rendle joined the Guins in 2009 and is batting a career-best .336 in 2011.

** Photo Courtesy of Ron Stevens.

Phil Klein is tearing it up on the diamond for Youngstown State this season.  Klein has joined six other pitchers in YSU history to record 200 career strikeouts.  Just this season, Klein has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week, twice.  He is the Horizon League leader with 61 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings.  He has earned four of YSU’s eight wins on the year.  He struck out 13 batters against Toledo earlier in the season.  He is Phil Klein, and if you were a Major League Baseball Scout, you would already know that.  Klein will almost definitely get drafted and he has a very bright future in the sport of baseball.

Paneech: How much pressure is put on you to be a mentor to the younger guys trying to succeed as pitchers?

Klein: We have got so many young guys.  Really, we only have a couple of upperclassmen who are pitching on this team.  Things can go their way, but it isn’t consistent.  You wonder what is going through their head, not so much the physical or mechanical stuff, but rather the what if they pitch good, what is going through their heads?  We try to encourage them to think on an even-keel level to balance things out.  There are times when it looks like they get it.  Sometimes, these young guys will go out and have a really good outing, other times they get knocked around.  I can only tell them so much, they have to learn how to be consistent.

Paneech: Supposedly, 90% of your power comes from your legs.  How true is that to you?

Klein: I believe it.  In the offseason, I focus more on running than lifting.  If you don’t, you can put the ball over the plate and get hit around.  I like to think I can go for as long as I can because my legs stay fresh from the work I have put in.

Paneech: Consistency is the biggest thing with any pitcher.  You look at someone like Rick Ankiel.  He was thrown into a relief role to pitch in a postseason game and ends up missing badly with every single pitch.  How can a pitcher come unglued?

Klein: It all starts with the first batter of an inning.  If he gets on, it gets in your head.  Then he could steal, and it is further in your head.  It can snowball until you regain your focus.  By looking back at what happened, you give up a five or six run inning because the problems snowball in your own head.  It starts with the first batter of an inning and all builds one way or the other from there.

Paneech: Do you prefer pitching from the stretch or a full wind-up?

Klein: I have no problem with either one of them.  Last weekend, I was pitching out of the wind-up and my footing just felt wrong.  I went from the stretch with no one on base because I felt more comfortable that way.  It’s a feel thing, some people have a preference, but I am usually comfortable either way.

Paneech: You are blessed to have good coaches here.  Coach Pasquale eats and breathes YSU Baseball.  Talk about how these guys are to play for.

Klein: I talk to Coach Dan [Lipari] at least once a day.  He’s a young guy but he knows his stuff.  I can come at them with anything, and that’s the thing I like most.  I can talk to any of them about school, baseball, girls, anything at all and they will be there for me.

Paneech: Having so much success at this level, are the big boys making their presence felt yet?

Klein: I filled out some paperwork for a few teams and have had conversations with some scouts.  I am trying not to focus on that yet, but rather this team and this season.  Those people cannot do anything for me while I’m in college and that kind of got in my head last season – always wondering who was watching and what they thought.  It takes you out of the present, so I will worry about all that when the time comes.

Paneech: You look at Stephen Strasburg.  He is babied along by the Nationals and then when they kind of turn him loose, he gets badly injured.  Do you think him skipping this level was a mistake?

Klein: I don’t how much of Stephen’s problems came from mechanical things or if it was coaching.  I feel like it is a benefit to work your way up because you are pitching to a better type of hitter each time you progress to another level.

Paneech: What kind of a hitter are you?  If you get to the National League, you will have to bat.

Klein: (laughs)  I would like to think I am a good hitter.  I always tell the guys that if someone gets hurt, that I will go up there and take the three biggest swings you will ever see.  I might not hit it, but I will take three big swings.  If I played in the National League, I could always become a bunter.

Paneech: Lets talk Major League Baseball.  Who do you root for?   Who is your favorite player?

Klein: I am a big Boston Red Sox fan and Josh Beckett is my favorite player.  He struggled early, but he is back on track now and has recorded plenty of strikeouts while keeping his ERA down around 1.00.  His demeanor is even-keel and he is very intense.  I can’t stand the Yankees and two of my roommates are all about the Yankees.  It gets intense when they play each other and we throw our teams shirts on and have at it.  I don’t wish bodily harm on any Yankee players, but I do hope they make ten errors and the Red Sox score 20 runs.

Paneech: What would happen if the Yankees drafted you?

Klein: (long pause)  I’m going in there like it is any other team.  I wouldn’t ask for piles of memorabilia.  If I had to pitch against the Red Sox it would definitely be in the back of my mind that I grew up rooting for that team.  I would have to take the right approach and do my best for whoever it is I am pitching for regardless of who it is against.

Paneech: Who was the best starting pitcher of all-time?

Klein: I would have to say Pedro Martinez back in the day.  He was unreal.  I also think Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and Roger Clemens were all the cream of the crop.  Those guys were so good for so many years.  These guys were good for 15 years.

Paneech: How are things going academically here for you at YSU?

Klein: I am a finance major.  I am having the toughest semester of my life right now.  I have two classes that I could spend all of my time on.  I don’t care for the accounting as much as the stock market.  The stock market is what I want to work with.  If baseball doesn’t work out, I want to go into investment banking.  They make good money.  I love it here though.  I get along with all of the guys on the team.  i don’t think I would be nearly as happy at an Ohio State where there are 50,000 people running around and there is nowhere to park.  I kind of like the size here.  I had a couple of really good classes last Fall.  I had Astronomy and Weather and really liked them.  You know what the things are but you don’t know how they work.  The worst class ever is one I have right now, it is a Financial Analysis class.  The teacher flies through everything and I don’t get it.  She might as well be speaking a foreign language.  I have no idea on some stuff in there and have been to the teachers office a few times asking for help, it is rough.

Paneech: OK, here is $10,000, how do I invest it right now?

Klein: (laughs)  I would throw a lot of it in Apple.  Steve Jobs is having some health problems, but they always have something new to give their stock a big boost when it needs one.  In three years they have returned 300% of what was invested.  They always step up.  I would spread it out though, and try to diversify your investment.

One Word Answers:

Favorite Fast Food Order: Taco Bell — Crunchwrap Supreme and Three Soft Tacos w/ Sour Cream.

Biggest Fear: Snakes.

Worst Habit: Being a Perfectionist.

Favorite Pitch: Slider.

Best Baseball Movie Ever: Bull Durham, hands down.

Favorite Gum: Eclipse Spearmint.

Favorite TV Show: Two And A Half Men.

Best Musician Out There: Jason Aldean.

Best Christmas program You Look Forward To Each Year? Christmas Vacation.

Best Player In Baseball Who Plays Somewhere Other Than Boston: Robinson Cano.

Ultimate vacation: Australia.

Tell me What You Think of Groundhog Day: It’s a waste of time… regardless of whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow it is going to be cold anyway.  Valentine’s Day is a worthless holiday too, and I have a girlfriend.

• The Youngstown State men’s tennis team dropped a hard-fought 4-3 match to third-seed Wright State on Thursday at the Horizon League Championships. The Penguins now face Butler in the fifth-place match on Friday morning at 9.
• The Youngstown State women’s basketball coaching staff will offer three camp formats this summer for young student-athletes and high school teams.  For individuals entering fourth through ninth grade, the staff is offering a half-day camp from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday, June 27, to Thursday, June 30. Players who are preparing for the collegiate level are invited to participate in the overnight elite camp on Thursday, June 30 and Friday, July 1. There will also be a team camp for varsity and JV squads on June 10 and June 12.   For more information, contact the Women’s Basketball Office at (330) 941-3004.
• The Youngstown State softball team picked up a single game against Ohio State tonight at 7 p.m. before heading to Indianapolis for a three-game Horizon League series against Butler, April 22-23.
• Youngstown State had eight winter sport student-athletes named to the Horizon League’s various All-Academic teams on Tuesday. The swimming and diving program led the way with three selections.  Representing YSU from the swimming and diving program were senior diver Amanda Carpin, senior swimmer Alana Kane and sophomore diver Casey Hill. It was the second straight year Carpin, a 3.95 student in Special Education, was named to the team.  Sophomore Brandi Brown was named to the women’s basketball all-academic team. Brown is the first Penguin since Lauren Branson in 2007-08.  The track and field program had four representatives named to the Academic All-League team. On the men’s side, senior Adam Kagarise was named to the squad for a third time while sophomore Jeff Hanselman earned his first academic honor. On the women’s side, senior Alisha Anthony earned her third indoor academic selection while sophomore Samantha Hamilton picked up her first track and field academic honor.
• According to YSU Sports Information Director Trevor Parks, the No Stone Unturned Pancake Breakfast held this past Sunday was a huge success.  The paid admission is estimated to be right around 1,000 meals served, which is 3,000 pancakes.  The charity function, headed by Coach Wolford and his wife, also did well with raffles and a Chinese Auction.

Jordan Ingalls is enjoying playing softball, liking the college experience of Youngstown State, and keeping her dreams and her goals on different paths.  She has twice been named Horizon League Player of The Week already this year and has paced the team offensively as the most consistent Lady Penguin.  Ingalls, a junior, takes a respectable stance on family, academics, and her approach to a game she loves.  She was good to interview, commenting that the questions she answered were not what she would have expected, that it was a fun conversation that she enjoyed.  Likewise.

Paneech: Are you and Sarah Ingalls both from Bolivar, New York?  Are you cousins, sisters?

Ingalls: (laughs)  We are related distantly.  Her great, great, great grandfather and my great, great, great, great grandfather were brothers.  Those brothers were cousins of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s father, Charles.  I had no idea that Sarah and I were related until my freshman year.  They came out to McCune Park saying they were my distant relatives and e-mailed me.  That was crazy in itself, and the following year, she ended up being on the team.

Paneech: How did you get started with softball and have you always been an outfielder?

Ingalls: It’s kind of an interesting story.  My dad was always really into sports and I was the only girl in the house besides my mom, so we were all really into sports.  My dad used to take me to the high school games when I was young and I saw the pitchers.  Being left-handed, shortstop was kind of out, so I tried the whole pitching thing.  I pitched my entire life and when I came to YSU, I pitched and played the outfield.  It’s crazy how you end up in places you never thought you would end up.  I am a completely different athlete now then when I came in.

Paneech: Who  is your favorite Major League Baseball Team and player?

Ingalls: I would say the Pirates are my favorite team.  I really don’t have a favorite player, but I used to really like Jack Wilson.  I have always been a Pirates fan because of my dad, every year we are hoping that they can turn it around.

Paneech: Do performance enhancing drugs exist in women’s softball?

Ingalls: It’s hard for me to imagine that happening in this sport.  When I look at friends and players I know from their teams, from our team, I would think never in a thousand years.  If you look at the overall spectrum, you wonder, could someone be doing that?  You would like to think that there is no abuse in softball.  Optimistically, I don’t think so.

Paneech: What is your approach to hitting.  Do you look for a certain pitch or do you attack what you see?

Ingalls: Most of hitting for me is strictly mental.  When I came in as a freshman, I was very aggressive and wanted to hit.  I want to hit so bad that sometimes I chase a pitch that is not my pitch.  After last year, I really worked in the cage on hitting in pressure situations and with runners in scoring position.  When you look at a good hitter, you can’t just look at the batting average because getting the job done is not always the result of a base hit.  In a smaller spectrum, you don’t have to get a hit every single time.  You analyze the situation and do what has to be done.  If I think too much, chances are bad I can help the team.

Paneech: What would you think about moving baseball season to August and football season to March since the weather has changed so much and three quarters of your season is dictated by Mother Nature?

Ingalls: I’ve never heard that before.  I think when you are an athlete, you go out and you want to play.  I hate seeing a game get cancelled for anybody.  The weather can’t be changed and when you are freezing, it should not prevent you from winning a game.  You can’t think about it.  When we played Loyola earlier this year, it was freezing.  It’s a mental game,  you are cold, but so is everyone else.

Paneech: The football and basketball players at this university are Twitter maniacs.  Do you partake in Twitter or Facebook?

Ingalls: A lot of the players on the team have Twitter and some get into it more than others.  There are a couple of girls on the team that it is every two seconds they are Tweeting.  I have an account but hardly ever use it.  I check it for scores.

Paneech: Who is your best friend on the team and why?

Ingalls:  Kristina Rendle. I’m nervous for next year when she will not be here.  We came in together and we know everything about each other.  I have such a good friendship with her that it is hard to think about coming to practice and her not being there.  We are like a package deal – it’s always Joradan and Rendy, Jordan and Rendy.  We help each other to get better by pitching to each other, we run at the exact same speed, she will push me and be honest with me.  She’s a great person to be with on or off of the field.

Paneech: What other sports did you play besides softball?

Ingalls: I played golf, my dad is a really good golfer, and I still play today and probably will for the rest of my life.  That will be the first sport that my kids play.  I love basketball, played soccer, and participated in track and field when I was younger.  I went to a really small school so anything you could get your hands on was fun, there just wasn’t much else to do.

Paneech: How is the school part going here?  Have you chosen a major yet?

Ingalls: I’m studying physical education to teach and have wanted to do that since kindergarten.  People come here and change their major four times and I don’t need to worry because I know what I want to do.  I substitute teach in New York because you can while you are going to school for it.  It doesn’t get old and I enjoy going to the classes.  The worst class I took here was weather with Buckler.  It was awful.  I was a freshman still learning how to study.  I had to learn what the temperature was in Arkansas if a low pressure system was moving North.  It was a nightmare, and I got a C in it.

One Word Answers

Favorite Hat: I wear a visor.

Typical Fast Food Order: Jimmy John’s #11 Country Club with barbecued chips and Diet Coke.

Biggest Phobia: Snakes.

Favorite TV Show: Criminal Minds.

Worst Habit: Chewing my gum too loud.

Best Baseball Movie Ever: Fever Pitch.

Dream Vacation: Ireland.

Favorite Musician: Lil Wayne.

Toppings on A Pizza: Whatever anyone wants, I like everything.

Favorite Holiday: Christmas Eve.

Special thanks to Ron Stevens for the photographs. The weather that Jordan doesn’t mind kept me away, but Ron had a few he let me use!

Youngstown State senior baseball player Phil Klein has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 10, the league office announced on Monday.

Klein (Gahanna, Ohio) pitched seven strong innings against Butler on Saturday to win his fourth consecutive start. He held the Bulldogs to four singles and three walks while striking out 10 batters. He allowed just one unearned run after Butler had 15 runs and 18 hits the previous night.

He retired the first nine batters he faced and struck out two batters in three of the first four innings. A passed ball assisted with Butler’s run in the fourth, and Klein worked out of a first-and-third jam with one out in the seventh to help YSU keep a 2-1 lead. He got batter Zach Sizemore to miss on a squeeze and start a rundown, and he struck Sizemore out looking to end the inning.

Over his last five starts, Klein has a 1.32 ERA in 34 innings. He has allowed just five earned runs and struck out 40 batters. Klein leads the Horizon League with 54 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.

Klein was also recognized as the League’s Pitcher of the Week on March 21.

Klein and the Penguins have a busy week ahead with five games in five days. YSU plays at Kent State on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and hosts the Golden Flashes at Eastwood Field on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Penguins will start a three-game series at Valparaiso on Friday.