Penn State baseball (26-17, 12-12 Big Ten) defeated Rider (28-12, 18-5 MAAC) 14-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The Nittany Lions opened aggressively with three runs in the first, and while Rider responded and things got quiet, it drove in four more runs in the fifth inning. Nate Voss hit two RBI doubles, which were a difference maker to help the Nittany Lions pull away.

How It Happened

Opening Nittany Lions batter Ryan Weingartner was hit by a pitch, advancing him to first base, but he was caught out at second after attempting to steal. Paxton Kling then walked, and Jack Porter was also hit by a pitch. With a runner on first and second, Bryce Molinaro hit an RBI single to give Penn State a 1-0 lead. Jesse Jaconski walked, allowing for the bases to be loaded. Immediately after, Voss hit an RBI double that then allowed the Nittany Lions to take a 3-0 lead.

Penn State elected for a pitching change in the top of the second, subbing Skip Shenosky in for Matt Morash. Rider then scored its first run of the game with an RBI single from Will Gallagher. After a fielding error, the Broncos drove in two more runs to tie the game 3-3 in the second inning. Ryan Weingartner was walked and stole second, but the inning closed soon after.

Joe Jaconski walked to open up the base running for the Nittany Lions in the third inning, but a Rider double play ended the inning abruptly, leaving the score still tied at 3 apiece.

Matt Maloney was then walked to open the base running for Penn State in the next inning, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t find home plate after another Rider double play, followed by the subsequent out. The game remained tied 3-3.

Kling was walked in the bottom of the fifth inning after a pitch clock violation. The next batter, Jack Porter, was then hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, allowing Kling to move into scoring position. Mike Lucarelli was then walked, allowing the Nittany Lions to load the bases. With a Joe Jaconski sacrifice fly ball, the Nittany Lions were able to drive in a run, and immediately after, Voss hit an RBI double, bringing in two more runs and giving Penn State a 6-3 lead. Voss then scored the final run of the inning on a fielding error, ending the inning with the Nittany Lions up 7-3.

The sixth inning went by relatively quickly for both teams, as neither found home plate, and the score remained 7-3 in favor of Penn State.

Molinaro opened the seventh inning with a home run, bringing the Nittany Lions up 8-3. Lucarelli was then walked, and Joe Jaconski hit a single that advanced Lucarelli all the way to third. A Voss sacrifice fly ball then brought in Lucarelli, giving the Nittany Lions a 9-3 lead. With two outs, Derek Cease hit a triple that brought in Joe Jaconski and advanced Penn State’s lead to 10-3. Immediately after, Ryan Weingartner hit a home run, bringing the Nittany Lions up 12-3.

Rider scored for the first time since the second inning to bring the score to 12-4 in the top of the eighth inning. Once the two teams switched sides, Molinaro hit a single into left field and ended up stealing second off a wild pitch. Lucarelli was then hit by a pitch, and Joe Jaconski was walked, allowing the Nittany Lions to load the bases again. Molinaro and Lucarelli then scored on a wild pitch, ending the game 14-4 on a mercy rule.

Takeaways

• Definitely a very textbook and straight-forward baseball game from the Nittany Lions. They suffered from a scoring drought after opening aggressively with three runs at the start, to then not scoring again until the bottom of the fifth.
• Voss’ two RBI doubles turned out to be two of the biggest moments of the game, as it brought in big runs for the Nittany Lions.
• The bottom of the seventh was a huge scoring opportunity for Penn State, scoring five runs. The Nittany Lions continued batting and running aggressively even with two outs, showing that they wouldn’t go down without a fight.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take on Maryland at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The game can be streamed on BTN+.