Penn State baseball (1-1) fell 8-4 against Stetson (2-0) Saturday afternoon in Estadio Yldefonso Sola Morales in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

The Nittany Lions struggled to generate offense throughout most of the game, while the Hatters built a sizeable lead. Their bats came alive in the late innings, but it was too little too late. The loss is Penn State’s first of the season.

How It Happened

Penn State starting pitcher Matt Morash had Stetson at two outs before the Hatters got three runners on base. An error on shortstop Ryan Weingartner led to two unearned runs, as Stetson grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Stetson wasn’t done yet, though. Jordan Taylor blasted a two-run homer to give the Hatters a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions’ bats were silent until the bottom of the fifth inning, as the only ones to reach base were Paxton Kling and Joe Jaconski in the first inning. They finally broke through when Cole Wagner scored off a wild pitch to make it 4-1.

Then, Taylor sent a line drive deep over the left field wall in response, giving Stetson a commanding 6-1 lead in the sixth inning. In the bottom frame, Weingartner and Jaconski each got on base. Bryce Molinaro drove the former home to make it 6-2 before Stetson ended the inning the following play.

After Stetson had a scoreless seventh inning, Penn State once again got to work. Jack Porter hit a homer to left field to make it 6-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Jayden Hylton doubled to left field. Stetson drew two walks, then Taylor scored Hylton on a single to make it 7-3 in the eighth inning. Penn State went down in order in the bottom of the eighth.

In the top of the ninth inning, Lorenzo Meola homered to give Stetson an 8-3 lead. Penn State had runners on second and third base before Stetson got two outs, then a walk to load the bases. On a 3-2 count, Kling walked to bring in another run. Weingartner hit a line drive that appeared to be fair but sailed foul over the left field wall. He grounded out on the next pitch to hand Penn State an 8-4 loss.

Takeaways

• Penn State significantly lacked offense throughout the game. It had just two baserunners through the first four innings before finally scoring in the fifth. The Nittany Lions were retired in order four times. Although they eventually scored four runs, a fast start would’ve been a chance to build not only a lead but momentum and a cushion.
• Porter, Penn State’s new designated hitter, was a bright spot. He had a home run and another hit over three at-bats.
• Late-game comebacks weren’t unheard of last season for Penn State, and one nearly happened today. It’ll be something to watch as the season progresses.

What’s Next

Penn State faces UConn at 7 p.m. tomorrow night in Estadio Yldefonso Sola Morales in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The game can be watched on ESPN+.