The University of Akron men’s baseball team defeated The Youngstown State Penguins 5-0 Tuesday at Lee R. Jackson field. The victory marks Zips’ third-straight out of conference win.
Freshman right hander Jon Pusateri earned his first career win, pitching 4.0 innings and striking out two, while allowing three hits in the shut out.
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The University of Akron men’s baseball team defeated The Youngstown State Penguins 5-0 Tuesday at Lee R. Jackson field. The victory marks Zips’ third-straight out of conference win.
Freshman right hander Jon Pusateri earned his first career win, pitching 4.0 innings and striking out two, while allowing three hits in the shut out.
The UA (6-20) bullpen picked up the rest of the work in the fifth and never looked back, as a combined five relievers threw an inning each of relief, allowing only two hits.
The Zips were also strong at the plate, with freshman outfielder Matt Corpora matching a career-high three base hits as he collected two singles and a double.
Matt came up with a big hit earlier in the game and got us going, said UA Head Coach Pat Bangston. He’s really showing as a freshman that he’s earned a spot and respect of his teammates.
Along with Corpora, Kurt Gamby, Samuel Trecaso and Jason Corzine all drove in a run, giving YSU’s starting pitcher Nic Manupellie the loss. Junior outfielder Drew Turocy extendedhis hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the third.
Overall, I think our hitters did a good job executing and moving guys over when we had the opportunity, said Bangston.
In the first and second innings, Pusateri had to pitch out of trouble, as YSU’s leadoff hitter Phil Lipari reached base on a single in the first and then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a long fly out to right center.
Pusateri then forced cleanup hitter Jeremy Banks into a foul out, stranding Lipari at third. During the second, YSU loaded the bases with one out, but Pusateria was able to get out of the jam, forcing a ground out and a pop-out.
This now marks the second time this season that the Zips have posted a shutout, as the UA pitching staff never allowed a runner past first in the final seven innings of the game.
Right handed junior closer Chris Bassit came in the ninth to finish the game, striking out the side for his 14th appearance of the season.
Starting the offense out for the Zips was Corzine, who scored for Akron in the bottom of the second when he drove in Gamby, who reached on an error in the start of the inning. Trecaso then scored, giving UA a 2-0 lead off of Brandon White’s double play ball in the next at-bat.
Akron tacked on a run in the third and the fourth, when Gamby grounded out, scoring Corpora, who had doubled to lead off the third. Corpora then drove in Brandon Winter in the fourth on a well-hit grounder over the bag at first. YSU first baseman Jeremy Banks knocked down Corpora’s one-hopper, but was unable to get the freshman out as the ball skipped into foul territory, allowing Winter to score.
There were no errors on the day for us, and overall, I feel any time you throw a shutout as a pitching staff in a mid-week game, that’s outstanding, said Bangston.
The Zips return to Mid-American Conference play this weekend when they host Central Michigan at Lee R. Jackson Baseball Field in a three-game series, with Friday’s series opener beginning at 3 p.m.
” #1.2147527:3884368335.JPG:Drew Turocy:Drew Turocy leads the Zips in batting at .385. Turocy has played in all 26 games this season, compiling 11 RBIs and in 104 at-bats during that period.:Steve Rodojev”