MERCYHURST (7-23, 6-7 NEC) vs. YOUNGSTOWN STATE (22-14, 7-2 HL)
Tuesday, April 14 – 3/5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 15 – 3/5 p.m. 
Youngstown, Ohio / Erie, Pa.   
TV: NEC Front Row (4/15)
 
The Mercyhurst softball team has a short turnaround from their weekend series vs. FDU as they take on Youngstown State this Tuesday and Wednesday. The first doubleheader will take place at YSU beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14. The next double feature will begin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15 in Erie.  

*Any dates and times are subject to change due to inclement weather forecasted to hit the region. 

Last Week on the Diamond
The contests are coming thick and fast for Mercyhurst softball. They played six games this past week. The first series was at Saint Francis on 4/7 and 4/8. The Lakers thrashed them in game one, 16-5. The Red Flash took game two, 10-6, before Gabriella DeLuca carried the Lakers to a 4-2 win in game two. 

The most recent series was at home vs. FDU on 4/11 and 4/12. The Knights defeated the Lakers 7-3 in the first game before MU completely flipped the script in game two, winning 16-2 in five innings. The script was flipped once more when FDU then run-ruled the third game, 15-5 in six innings. 

16-Run Riot
The last time Mercyhurst put up 16 runs in a game was in a win vs. UPJ in 2024. Now, they achieved that feat twice in five days vs. the likes of SFU and FDU. In the SFU game, MU beat them 16-5 in game one where they tallied some impressive stat lines. In terms of NEC highs (at the time), the Lakers had 35 total bases (1st), five home runs (2nd), and 16 runs (5th).

Individually, Jazlynn Sanders' two home runs were tied for the most in one game and Braylynn Kelly's four hits were second highest. The Red Flash won game two and the Lakers won game three. 

YSU/MU Matchup Insights
Mercyhurst is 0-2 vs. Youngstown State all time. This upcoming series will be just the second all-time meeting. YSU won 10-2 (six innings) and 8-0 (five innings) last year.  
 
In the first meeting, Bailey Cannon and Lauren Henrich both scored runs. Henrich had two hits. 

Two Ks, Few Ks 
Kelly has been one of the most consistent hitters for Mercyhurst. In 66 at bats, the Whittaker, Michigan native has 33 total bases, 26 hits, 14 runs, 13 RBIs, a batting average of .394, an OPS of .952, and a slugging percentage of .500. She is nine for 11 on stolen base attempts. Notably, Kelly hit a three-run blast in an 8-6 win at CCSU. This was the first home run of her career. Her batting average puts her at fourth in the NEC.
 
Karlie Kasten is second on the team with a .333 batting average. In 87 at bats from the leadoff spot, the Elma, New York native has 38 total bases, 29 hits, 19 runs, eight RBIs, a slugging percentage of .437 and an OPS of .807. She is also a perfect four-for-four on stolen base attempts. 
 
DeLuca Delivers
Gabby DeLuca has made waves in her rookie season. She is among the best pitchers in the NEC standings right now. She currently leads the conference with the fewest hits allowed (57), runs allowed (41), and the second-most earned runs allowed (34). The Erie native has the eleventh-lowest ERA (.562) and the tenth-lowest opposing batting average (.322). 

DeLuca is coming off an incredible performance vs. SFU last weekend. She pitched a complete game with four strikeouts and two earned runs. In the same game, she hit a SAC fly and a three-run home run to secure a 4-2 win for the Lakers. 

This past Saturday, the Erie native hit six RBIs in the 16-2 win vs. FDU. She has 14 RBIs in her last six games and her 22 on the year lead the team. 
 
Prime Performers 
So far, Sanders, DeLuca, and Kasten have earned an NEC Prime Performer award. DeLuca had a stellar weekend in S.C that began her collegiate career in style. In this tournament, the Erie native had a .333 batting average, two runs, two RBIs, three hits, and a two-run moon shot in just nine at bats. 

Sanders earned her first Prime Performer award from the Hawaii tournament. Sanders had five hits, five RBIs, and she went yard in one of the games vs. Hawaii. Her second award came after the Stonehill series, where she tallied four hits and four RBIs. This included a go-ahead three-run home run in a 5-3 win in game one. 

Kasten, in four games and 13 at-bats vs. RMU, had nine hits, two RBIs, two stolen bases, one double, one run, total batting average of .377. She also recorded a fielding percentage of 1.000 and made seven catches from center field. Her best game of this four-game series was in game two, where she went four-for-four. 
 
YSU Report Card

• The Penguins are 22-14 overall and 7-2 in the Horizon League (HL).
• They are first in the HL and two games ahead of second place (Oakland). 
• Their first win of the season was in their second game, where they beat Gardner-Webb, 16-6. That series was intense as the Runnin' Bulldogs beat them 13-12 in an extra inning in game two. 
• On 2/27, they began a lengthy tournament in Longwood, Virginia. In this competition, the Penguins went 8-4. They went 2-2 vs. Longwood and notably run-ruled UPenn 9-1. They also swept Le Moyne 9-0 and 4-3, an opponent Mercyhurst will face later this month. 
• YSU began HL play in late March, where they won a series over Detroit Mercy, 2-1. They lost the first game and then did not lose another conference game until April. 
• They comfortably swept NKU before the big series against the defending conference champions, Robert Morris. The series was nothing short of chaotic. YSU won game one, 7-4 in 10 innings. RMU won game two, 8-6. Then, the Penguins walloped the Colonials 20-0 in five innings in game three. 
• Most recently, YSU swept St. Bonaventure 8-0 and 13-5, both in five innings. 
• The Penguins have eight batters with a batting average above .300 and four with an OPS above 1.000. 
• Emma Gilkerson's .385 batting average leads the team and is eighth in the HL. 
• Kennedy Dean leads the team with 47 RBIs and 76 total bases.
• In the circle, Kennedy Kimball has an 8-5 record, an ERA of 2.26, a WHIP of 1.08, and 62 strikeouts. Her ERA is the highest in the HL and her strikeouts are fourth.