April 6, 2012

Box Score

CHICAGO - Annie Korth and Lauren Zaworski hit three-run home runs and Brittany Gardnertossed a three-hit shutout to lift Loyola University Chicago (11-16, 4-3 Horizon) to an 11-0 victory in five innings versus Youngstown State (21-7-1, 5-2 Horizon) in game one of a doubleheader at Loyola Softball Park this afternoon. The victory snaps the Ramblers' two-game losing skid.

After Gardner mowed down the Penguins in order in the top of the first, Loyola got its bats going right from the outset against freshman righthander Kayla Haslett. With one out, Lauren Arceneaux was plunked by an offering from Haslett and Lauren Moorefollowed with a single before Korth crushed a three-run homer to straight-away center to give the Ramblers a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish.

Loyola capitalized on three Penguin errors and broke the game open with a seven-run third inning in which Zaworski mashed a three-run homer to left center to chase Haslett from the game and force the Penguins to turn to their bullpen for help. However, the change in pitchers did not cool the Rambler bats by any means. Jessica Balzano's RBI single off Hana Somogyi made it 7-0 in favor of the Maroon and Gold and after Keali Engelkensscored on a throwing error by Youngstown State catcher Vicky Rumph, Arceneaux knocked in a pair of runs with a single up the middle to give the Ramblers a 10-0 advantage.

Balzano drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth inning to warp up the scoring for Loyola, which won for the ninth time in its last 11 regular-season Horizon League home games.

Nine Ramblers recorded at least one hit in the game and Gardner scattered three hits and struck out seven to earn her seventh win of the season.