Penn State baseball (11-30) visited in-state rival Pittsburgh (27-19) Tuesday for a one-game road stand. The Nittany Lions exhausted their bullpen in a low-scoring affair at Charles L. Cost Field, as head coach Rob Cooper used a total of eight arms in the 3-2 loss.

How It Happened

Redshirt sophomore Eric Mock got the starting nod from Cooper against the Panthers. After two scoreless innings, Pittsburgh found the scoreboard first. Mock hit Frank Maldonado with a pitch to lead off the bottom of the third, and the Panthers’ center fielder came around to score on an RBI single.

The Panthers held the Nittany Lions scoreless through five innings before they finally broke through. Ryan Sloniger led off the top of the sixth with a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the inning, Braxton Giavedoni found the left-center gap for an RBI triple to make it 2-1 Nittany Lions.

Penn State’s bullpen could not maintain the lead, however. Pitt’s Liam Sabino took Conor Larkin deep for a two-RBI home run in the bottom of the seventh, and that was all she wrote. 

Player of the Game

Braxton Giavedoni | Sophomore | Right fielder

Penn State’s offense was lacking in the Steel City, but Giavedoni shone through as a bright spot. He contributed three of the Nittany Lions’ five hits.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions are back in State College this Thursday for a three-game series against Xavier (16-32).