Penn State baseball (1-2 overall) opened its season in Coral Gables, Florida for a three-game series against No. 22 Miami (2-1 overall), losing two of three games.

The Nittany Lions’ offense erupted in game one in a 9-5 win, while Miami’s did the same in game two in a 10-2 rout of Penn State. Penn State was on the brink of winning the series in game three, carrying a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning until the Hurricanes walked it off.

Game One

Penn State started its season off hot in Coral Gables. Backed by a solid start from Travis Luensmann, the Nittany Lions defeated the Hurricanes 9-5.

The Nittany Lions broke the game open early, with a four-run second inning. A double to right field by Jay Harry scored Tayven Kelly, Anthony Steele, and Johnny Piacentino to make it 3-0. Harry scored not long after, being driven in by Thomas Bramley to make it 4-0.

Penn State scored two more times between the third and seventh innings, including a home run from Kelly. Meanwhile, Miami scored two runs in that time frame to make it 6-2 Nittany Lions. 

Luensmann was dominant on the mound, allowing one run and fanning four batters over five innings. 

Both offenses erupted in the eighth inning. Penn State scored three runs; and Miami scored three as well, one of which being a two-run homer from Ian Farrow. It wouldn’t be enough to mount a comeback, as Penn State won 9-5.

Game Two

Game two was much less competitive, as Penn State lost 10-2. It was an all-around solid showing from the Hurricanes, including Karson Ligon who allowed just one run over 6.2 innings.

Miami got to work right away with a two-run bomb in the first inning. The Hurricanes’ offense erupted in the fourth inning, scoring three runs to make it 5-0. Another Miami home run in the fifth inning made it 6-0.

Penn State managed to score two runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but the Hurricanes answered back with even more. This resulted in the Nittany Lions suffering a 10-2 loss, their first of the season.

Game Three

Penn State and Miami played a nail-biter on Sunday to finish the series, with dominant pitching being a key component in the game. 

Tommy Molsky started for Penn State, allowing no runs with five strikeouts over five innings of work. Meanwhile, Alejandro Rosario struck out six batters with two earned runs over 5.1 innings on the mound.

Penn State got out to a lead, as Thomas Bramley scored on a wild pitch in the third inning. In the next inning, Tayven Kelly’s single to center field scored Johnny Piacentino, giving Penn State a 2-0 lead.

Miami scored one run in the sixth inning to cut the lead in half, thanks to an RBI single from Blake Cyr. From that point on, though, both sides’ pitchers dominated.

After a scoreless top of the ninth, Josh Spiegel threw a runner out trying to steal second base to give Penn State one out. Then, Miami got a runner on. CJ Kayfus sent a bomb flying over the fence, giving the Hurricanes a walk-off 3-2 win and thus winning the series.

Takeaways

• Penn State may have lost two of three games, but this was a very impressive showing. Rob Cooper’s team was the underdog, but winning game one in a solid fashion and barely losing game three against a ranked team is a good sign of what’s to come.
• Penn State’s pitching was really impressive, with 12 strikeouts this weekend. Luensmann was the standout, with a 1.80 ERA and four K’s in his Friday start.
• Rob Cooper’s offense looked promising in its first series without former standout Matt Wood, with 13 runs scored this series.

What’s Next

Penn State will face Maine at 1 p.m. on Friday, February 24 in Cary, North Carolina.