by Will Pegler and Matt Paolizzi

Penn State baseball (17-12) snuck by Youngstown State (7-25) in a 16-15 barnburner in walk-off fashion on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions’ bats were quieted on Wednesday night as they lost to Pitt (9-22) by a score of 7-2.

Penn State only put up seven hits against the Panthers after a 13-hit performance against Youngstown State on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions’ shaky pitching staff allowed 22 runs in both games.

How It Happened

Game One

Both team’s offenses came out firing on Tuesday night and went back and forth throughout the game. The Nittany Lions led by a score of 10-3 after just two innings of play. A three-run triple from Parker Hendershot and a three-run homer off the bat of Justin Williams were two of many highlights from Penn State’s offensive explosion in the second frame.

Other than scoring another run in the third, the Nittany Lions seemingly hot offense went dormant for the next three innings while Youngstown State scored 10 unanswered runs.

Among the top performers for the visitors were Philip Glasser and Drew Dickerson, who each finished with three RBIs and combined for five hits. Youngstown State had 17 hits on the board once all was said and done, but the Nittany Lions still found a way to win.

Penn State’s offense woke back up in the seventh inning with two runs. Parker Hendershot ripped a single to left field to bring the Nittany Lions within one, and Ryan Sloniger followed that up with a sacrifice fly that tied the score up at 13. Youngstown State quickly struck back with two runs in the eighth, though, and the Nittany Lions were suddenly down by a score of 15-13 heading into the final inning of play.

Right hander Kyle Virbitsky stepped up in a big way in the top of the ninth inning. The sophomore set the Penguins down in order on two strikeouts and a ground out to give his squad one last chance.

The Nittany Lions didn’t squander their golden opportunity. Jordan Bowersox got things going with a double that drove in a run, followed by a wild pitch that allowed Gavin Homer to score and moved Bowersox to third. The game was tied at 15 when Ryan Ford stepped to the plate. Ford hit a deep sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Bowersox to score easily and the Nittany Lions won in walk-off fashion to cap off Rob Cooper’s 400th victory as Penn State’s skipper.

Game Two

Shane Larkin was on the mound for the Nittany Lions and took control by striking out the first two batters of the game. Pitt was able to get some hits going in the second, but the game remained scoreless going into the bottom of the second.

Kris Kremer started up the offense for Penn State with an inside-the-park home run. A double from Justin Williams sent Jacob Padilla home after the former was walked. A flyout from Connor Klemann ended the inning, but the Nittany Lions got some runs out of it and took a 2-0 lead.

Penn State found itself in a pickle during the top of the fourth. A single and two straight walks loaded the bases for Pitt, but Larkin was able to calm down and get out of the inning unscathed. After letting up another set of loaded bases, Larkin was taken out in favor of freshman Hutch Gagnon. The Nittany Lions found a way to reel in the final out and keep the shutout going.

Gagnon’s luck ran out quickly after that. Pitt came out swinging during the top of the sixth with a two-run double from Bryce O’Farrell. Kyle Virbitsky relieved Gagnon and was able to finish off the inning without any more damage.

However, more drama came off the Pitt bats during the top of the seventh. Runners on second and third led Virbitsky to intentionally walk the next batter. The pitcher walked the next batter to allow another run and give Pitt a 3-2 lead. He’d get the next guy out, but that quizzical intentional walk gave the Nittany Lions a bad taste in their mouths.

More runs came for Pitt as the eighth inning started up. Virbitsky was taken out as Jared Freilich entered the game. Freilich gave up a two-run single to give the Panthers some breathing room. Pitt scored another pair of runs to polish off a 7-2 victory in Happy Valley.

Takeaways

• Ryan Ford’s walk-off on Tuesday was his second of the season; his first March when he hit a single up the middle to defeat UMass Lowell. The freshman infielder has clearly proven that he’s not afraid to step up in big moments for this Penn State squad.
• The Nittany Lions finished with 13 hits on Tuesday night, a feat they have accomplished in just three other games this season. Hopefully this is a sign of more good things to come for Rob Cooper’s lineup.
• Penn State’s defense simply cannot hold onto the ball. The team has 44 errors on the season and a team fielding percentage of .956, good for 256th in the NCAA. Two players — infielder turned left-fielder Gavin Homer and Conlin Hughes — have combined for 17 of those mishaps.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions have themselves a Blue-White weekend home series against Nebraska. The three-game set will get started at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.