March 25, 2008

Bats Awaken to Support Kalafos in 12-4 Victory Over IUP

    Struthers, Ohio -- Youngstown State erupted for season-highs in hits and runs to support a strong effort from starter Adam Kalafos in a 12-4 victory over IUP on Tuesday afternoon.
    Kalafos allowed eight hits and struck out a career-high 11 batters to pick up his first win of the year for the Penguins, who won their home opener for the third straight year.
    Josh Page and Joe Iacobucci had two singles and two doubles apiece, and Anthony Munoz hit his first career home run. As a team the Penguins banged out 18 hits on this cold day with stiff wind gusts that caused some balls to take off in the outfield.
   "Today the offense came alive," head coach Rich Pasquale said. "We've been hitting all year, but today we were able to put some hits together and put a team away. We got a great start from Kalafos. He really came to pitch today."
    The Penguins scored two runs in the first when Sean Lucas, Page and Iacobucci led off the game with three straight hits. Page then brought home Munoz on a sacrifice fly to put YSU up 3-0.
    Kalafos retired the first nine hitters and struck out five in the first three innings before IUP finally put some hits together in the fourth. The first three had three of the five hits in the inning, and Kyle Stryker tied the game with an RBI double.
    The Penguins reclaimed the lead in the fifth when Iacobucci and Anthony Porter had back-to-back RBI hits, and they blew the game open by scoring four runs with two outs in the sixth. Munoz hit a two-run homer, Iacobucci singled home Lucas and Page scored on a balk.
    Munoz then put the Guins ahead 11-3 in the seventh with a two-run single in the seventh.
    IUP scratched a run across in the eighth, and Dustin Wachter singled home Page in the bottom of the frame for the final tally.
    Kalafos was charged with all four runs and did not walk a batter against IUP, which came into the game on a six-game winning streak and team batting average of .353. Ryan Sellman came on to throw a scoreless ninth.
    Jake Rougeaux took the loss for the Crimson Hawks allowing nine runs - eight of which were earned - on 15 hits in 5.2 innings.
    The Penguins will travel to Akron tomorrow to take on the Zips at 3 p.m.