Penn State Baseball Takes 11-5 Dollar Dog Night Win Over FDU Behind Early Offensive Surge
Penn State baseball (9-18, 3-6 Big Ten) took its midweek Dollar Dog matchup against FDU (19-10, 13-2 NEC) at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, by a score of 11-5.
The Nittany Lions opted for a bullpen game against the Knights. They pulled through with a mixture of relievers posting 7.1 innings, 10 strikeouts and allowing only two runs. They were supported by Michael Anderson, Bryce Molinaro, and other Penn State bats who came out hot with eleven hits and ten runs through the first three innings.
How It Happened
Mason Horwat started for Penn State, fired in one strike to lead-off batter Johnathan Gomez, but missed the other four pitches, giving Gomez a free pass to first. Hunter Ray followed it up with a four-pitch walk, and Horwat was in an early jam.
The next batter dropped a sac-bunt, and Penn State was unable to record an out on it. With bases loaded and nobody out, Horwat got a promising strikeout on the clean-up hitter looking, but walked the next batter, putting FDU on the board. He struck out the next two batters, finishing the inning with three K’s and three walks.
In the bottom half, red-hot Anderson extended his hit streak to seven games with a one-out double off the center field wall. He crossed home on Molinaro’s triple that carried all the way to the raised wall in right field.
The bats didn’t stop there. Molinaro was plated by Jack Porter’s double down the third baseline, and Porter plated on Kevin Karstetter’s single through the 5-6 hole.
After a long rest, Horwat took the bump with a 3-1 lead and got the lead-off batter, but allowed three consecutive hits at the turn of the FDU lineup. The Knights tied it up on Garryn Plummer’s RBI-groundout, and Mike Gambino pulled Horwat for Frankie Sanchez, who escaped the inning with a groundout.
Joey DeMucci kept the bats rolling with a lead-off single, and Preston Yaucher reached base on a fielder’s choice, thanks to DeMucci beating out the throw to second. Some smooth baserunning from the two plated DeMucci and moved Yaucher into scoring position.
Anderson passed the baton off to Molinaro by getting plunked, and the infielder ripped an RBI-double. Barnett scored them both on a single up the middle, and scored himself on Porter’s single that was bobbled in the outfield.
Sanchez took the mound again for Penn State in the third and plunked the first batter of the inning, Jimmy Mantuano. Mantuano stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He scored on Jeremy Delamota’s double.
The Penn State pitcher, after throwing over to second several times, finally got the second out of the inning by picking off Delamota at second. Sanchez popped up Travis Stroh to end the inning with one run worth of damage.
The Nittany Lions got that run and another back with the bottom of their order turning over to the top. Maddox McDonald singled and DeMucci walked before conducting a double-steal to get in scoring position.
Jayden Davis knocked them in with a base hit up the middle, but was canned advancing to second by the catcher.
Sanchez’s night ended as Harrison Lollin took over, and after walking Gomez, struck out the next two batters swinging. He gave a free pass to another Knight and allowed a single to Mantuano that plated Gomez before striking out Jeremy Cheeseman to end the inning.
FDU’s Chris Strout faced the minimum in the fourth with the help of Maddox McDonald’s baserunning blunder. He was tagged out on first.
Lollin retook the mound for his first extended relief appearance. He faced four FDU Knights, producing three outs on balls in play and allowing a harmless one-out single. Bats continued to cool down for both sides as Penn State was retired in order.
Taking the mound for the Nittany Lions in the sixth was left-hander Matthew VanOstenbridge. The southpaw put his first two batters on base with a walk and a plunk, but worked out of it by generating two weak groundballs and a backwards K.
FDU kept Penn State’s bats cold with their third consecutive scoreless inning, despite Molinaro’s one-out single, by getting Barnett to ground into a double-play.
Robert Brown III did the same, relieving VanOstenbridge, and putting two Knights down looking.
Penn State finally got the bats warmed back up in the 30° weather. Jesse Jaconski led off with a sliced double down the left field line. Karstetter dropped a bunt for a single, putting runners on first and second. However, Knights Logan Magdits got three consecutive outs on balls in play.
Brown III posted another clean inning, allowing no baserunners and striking out two along the way to run his K count up to four through two innings.
With a five-run lead, the top of the order tacked on an insurance run. Davis got a free pass to first and Anderson knocked him in with a triple. The next three Nittany Lions went down in order, stranding Anderson on third.
Freshman Ethan Baeurschmidt took the ninth-inning duties off Brown III’s hands. The freshman produced two groundouts and ended the game with a backwards K.
Takeaways
- The Nittany Lions owned the basepaths today, totaling five stolen bases on the day. Leading the charge was catcher Joey DeMucci, who doubled his career high with three stolen bases — one of which was a first and third double steal that he scored on.
- Robert Brown III posted two of the three clean innings for Penn State when it needed it most. Brown III entered in the seventh and collected four strikeouts in the following two innings. Clean innings have been a problem for not just relievers, but all Penn State arms, and Brown III posting two late in the game is a promising sign in turning the corner.
- Penn State’s two and three-hole hitters, Michael Anderson and Bryce Molinaro, posted six hits, four for extra bases, in nine at-bats, worth three RBIs. They continue to be the anchors in a lineup that has shifted around a lot in recent games.
What’s Next?
Penn State travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a three-game set against the Buckeyes, who sit sixth in the Big Ten and 75th in the RPI rankings. First pitch for Friday, April 10, is set for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on BTN+.
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