YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – After falling behind 4-0, the Green Bay softball team got hot at the plate and nearly made a comeback on Youngstown State before eventually falling in the final frame, 9-8.

The Penguins jumped out ahead early, putting up two runs in the second and third innings to take a 4-0 lead. The Phoenix offense started to get rolling when Alicia Peters smoked her ninth home run of the year over the right-field wall to bring Green Bay's deficit to three at 4-1. Youngstown State responded immediately in the bottom half of the frame with a sacrifice fly to center field to bring the Penguin lead to four once again. GB would tack on two more in the fifth when Becca Edwards ripped a clutch, two-out single to left that scored Randi McKay and Tiffany Giese. The Phoenix would score two more and tie it up in the top of the sixth thanks to RBIs from Samantha Saloun and Jadin Justman.

Just as they did in the fourth, YSU had an answer when Avrey Schumacher torched a hit down the right-field line to score Nikki Saibene and Hailey Roach. Kohler would follow the two-RBI hit with a sac fly to center that brought in Schumacher, extending YSU's lead back out to three at 8-5.

Down to their last chance, the Phoenix put together a three-run seventh inning to force the bottom half of the frame. The scoring in the seventh started for GB with Peterson flaring a hit into shallow left field. Hailey Niederkohr, playing left field for the Penguins, dove to catch the ball, but missed, resulting in the ball rolling all the way to the fence and two runs scoring. Giese ensued with a single to score Peterson, tying the game at eight. However, the Penguins, for a third time in the game, had an answer. Conchetta Rinaldi reached on a throwing error by Lauren King. Two batters later, Saibene placed a hit down the right-field line to drive in YSU's game-winning run.

GAME NOTES
» Tiffany Giese is still one stolen base away from becoming the Green Bay all-time leader for individual career stolen bases.
» Giese and Randi McKay were a solid one-two punch at the top of the Phoenix lineup, combining to go 6-10 at the plate while scoring two runs and driving in a run.
» Edwards filled the stat sheet by reaching base three out of four times. She went 2-for-3, with a walk, run, and two RBI.
» Green Bay scored in four consecutive innings (fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh)
» The Phoenix committed five errors.
» Elle Buffenbarger pitched all seven innings for YSU but surrendered all eight runs. She struck out 11 and walked five.
» GB left 10 on base, while YSU left 11 on base.
 
COMING UP
Green Bay and Youngstown State will wrap up their three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader. The action begins at 11:00 a.m. CST, with game two beginning at approximately 1:00 p.m. CST. Neither game will be live-streamed, but fans can still follow the action via live stats.
 
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