Youngstown State's Ingalls, Loyola's Gardner Earn Horizon League Softball Accolades

INDIANAPOLIS – Youngstown State junior outfielder Jordan Ingalls (Bolivar, N.Y.) has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week, while Loyola freshman pitcher Brittany Gardner (Orland Park, Ill.) has been tabbed the League Pitcher of the Week, for the week beginning March 7.

Ingalls led Youngstown State (9-5) to a 4-2 mark last week, as the Penguins swept a doubleheader from South Carolina State before wins over Savannah State and Manhattan.  In six games, the junior went 9-for-18 with four doubles, two triples and a home run, adding 10 RBI to her haul.

In the Penguins’ 13-2 victory over Savannah State, Ingalls fueled the rout, going 3-for-4 with the homer, adding five RBI.  Ingalls had multi-hit games in three of the six contests last week.  As a team, Youngstown State hit .349 with 45 runs scored last week.

Gardner appeared in four of Loyola’s eight contests at the Rebel Games, collecting victories in all four as the Ramblers improved to 8-5 on the year with a 5-1 trip through Florida.  The left-hander did not allow a run until her second-to-last inning of work over 21.1 innings.  Gardner struck out 24 batters while allowing just five walks and seven hits.

The freshman tossed a two-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Robert Morris on March 8, just one day after striking out a season-best 10 batters in 6.2 innings of relief in a 5-2 win versus LaSalle.  Gardner had her streak of 31.0 scoreless innings snapped in a 3-2 triumph over Temple, but notched another win, her fourth of the week.

Youngstown State takes part in the Rebel Games all week, with the Penguins slated to play eight games across March 14-18 in Orlando, Fla.  Loyola will head to Bloomington, Ind., over the weekend, taking on Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Indiana and Michigan State March 18-20.