Penn State Baseball Overcomes Maryland In 8-4 Win
Penn State baseball (27-19, 13-14 Big Ten) survived Maryland (22-17, 8-16 Big Ten) 8-4 on Sunday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in its final game of a three-game series. The Nittany Lions ended their six-game losing streak in Big Ten play.
The Nittany Lions fell to a 2-0 deficit in the first inning but responded by scoring one run in the bottom frame of the inning. Then, Penn State scored five runs combined in the fourth and fifth innings to take the lead. The Terrapins fought back as they hit a two-run home run to get within two runs before the game went into a rain delay. This delay lasted for two hours, and Penn State managed to score two more runs as it held on to victory to avoid the series sweep.
How It Happened
After Maryland’s Brayden Martin grounded out, Penn State pitcher Mason Butash allowed Chris Hacopian to walk on the next batter. Butash struck out Eddie Hacopian, but Hollis Porter hit a two-run home run to give the Terrapins an early lead. Jacob Orr fouled out to give the Nittany Lions the third out and end the top frame of the first inning.
Maryland pitcher Omar Melendez got the first two outs for Maryland but could not retire the order as an error allowed Jack Porter to get on base. This gave the Nittany Lions some momentum as Bryce Molinaro hit a single before Jesse Jaconski’s single brought Porter home. However, Penn State could not tie the game at two as Joe Jaconski’s lineout ended the first inning.
Butash retired the Terrapins’ first two batters, but Elijah Lambros kept the top frame of the second inning alive with his single. Maryland could not score as Parker Corbin’s flyout ended the frame. Melendez retired the Nittany Lions in order as the second inning came to an end with the Terrapins holding a 2-1 lead.
Martin drew a walk to get things underway for Maryland in the top of the third inning. Butash started to settle into the game as he retired two of Maryland’s batters and picked off Martin to keep it a one-run deficit for the Nittany Lions. In the bottom frame, Kling singled with one out, but Penn State could not capitalize as the Terrapins got the two outs needed to keep their lead intact.
Things started to get tricky for Butash as Porter and Orr hit singles to give Maryland runners on first and second base with no outs. After Alex Calarco flied out, Aden Hill was hit by a pitch, which allowed the Terrapins to have bases loaded with one out. Butash struck out one more batter before Penn State manager Mike Gambino decided to go to his bullpen.
Matt VanOstenbridge came in to replace Butash, and this move paid dividends as the Nittany Lions got out of the jam to keep their deficit at one. This gave Penn State momentum as it managed to get base runners on first and second with one out. On the next batter, Derek Cease hit an RBI single to tie the game at two.
After Nate Voss got out at home on a bunt by Cohl Mercado, the Nittany Lions broke the deadlock as Ryan Weingartner’s double to left center allowed Cease and Mercado to score and give them a 4-2 lead. Kling walked right before a Porter popout ended the fourth inning.
VanOstenbridge walked back-to-back batters with no outs in the top frame to give the Terrapins to have an opportunity to tie the game. However, he retired the next two batters before Anthony Steele replaced him. Steele managed to get the final out to end the top frame.
Melendez retired Penn State’s first two batters, but he could not retire them in order as Joe Jaconski drew a walk. This proved to be a huge difference as Voss hit a triple that allowed Joe Jaconski to score, and Cease’s single brought in Voss to give the Nittany Lions a four-run lead. The inning came to an end right after as Mercado hit a popout.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth inning. However, the Terrapins refused to go away, and Chris Hacopian hit a two-run home run to trim their deficit to two before the game went into a rain delay with one out. This delay lasted for two hours, and Mason Horwat came in to replace Steele.
After Horwat got the second out, Maryland started to make things for him as it loaded the bases. However, Horwat was able to get out of the jam as he forced Hill’s groundout ended the top frame. Jesse Jaconski hit a single as the bottom frame got underway. Joe Jaconski popped out right before a double by Voss brought Jesse Jaconski home. Then, Penn State scored one run before the inning came to an end.
Horwat retired the Terrapins 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth inning. Maryland returned the favor to end the inning with Penn State holding an 8-4 lead heading into the ninth inning. Dimond Loosli came in for the Nittany Lions in an attempt to close out the game.
However, Maryland started to show signs of life when it hit back-to-back singles to get runners on first and second with no outs. Then, Loosli managed to record a crucial strikeout on Porter to get the first out. This strikeout gave the Nittany Lions momentum as they got the final two outs to end the game, as Penn State won by a score of 8-4.
Takeaways
- Once again, Penn State got off to a slow start as it allowed Maryland to score two runs in the first inning. However, it overcame this deficit quickly, and the fourth inning proved the turning point as the Nittany Lions scored three to take the lead. This allowed them to dictate the rest of the game by piling up more runs even after the two-hour rain delay.
- Maryland’s errors will come back to haunt it in this loss. It committed two errors compared to Penn State’s zero, and these errors came at a bad time. The first error allowed the Nittany Lions to stay alive in the first inning, which ended with them scoring their first run. Then, the second error came in the fourth inning, which would’ve given the Terrapins two outs and given Penn State all the momentum.
- Cease, Weingartner, and Voss were the catalysts in Penn State’s much-needed win. The trio combined for six RBIs, six hits, and scored three runs.
What’s Next?
Penn State will hit the road next weekend for a three-game series against Rutgers. The first game will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 9.
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