UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team took a tough 8-4 loss against West Virginia on Tuesday evening at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in a game that saw 25 combined hits between the two squads.
Penn State is now 12-18 overall, while West Virginia improved to 21-10.
Tommy Molsky toed the rubber as the starter for the Nittany Lions and surrendered five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. He was relieved by Jordan Morales who threw one full inning while allowing three earned runs on six hits.
Carson Kohls took over for Morales and delivered a career-best 3.2 shutout innings, striking out three. Ryan Partridge carried the momentum and struck out the side in the eighth inning. Chase Renner delivered a scoreless ninth to add to a solid day from the Penn State bullpen.
The Mountaineers' hurler, Tyler Strechay, allowed two runs on seven hits over 2.1 innings of work before Aidan Major took over in the third. Major tossed 1.2 perfect innings with one strikeout. Trent Hodgdon only lasted 0.2 innings after giving up a homer to Josh Spiegel. A trio of Mountaineer bullpen arms, Zach Ottinger, Noah Short and Ben Abernathy, kept the Nittany Lions scoreless for the final 4.1 innings.
The Nittany Lions recorded 11 hits and ripped two homers in the contest. Cole Bartels and Spiegel each went two-for-four with a two-run homer. Spiegel added a double. Bartels crossed the plate for two runs. Matt Wood had two hits, including a double, and a run, while Anthony Steele collected two hits, including a double.
The Mountaineers had eight runs on 14 hits. Austin Davis went three-for-five with two runs at the top of the lineup. Victor Scott II collected three hits, including a double and a triple, two runs and two RBI. McGwire Holbrook registered two hits and two RBI. West Virginia recorded four steals.
West Virginia cracked the scoreboard in the top of the first with back-to-back two-out hits, a triple by Scott II and a single by Holbrook, to plate a run.
The Mountaineers added six runs in the top of the third. J.J. Wetherholt grounded out to plate Tevin Tucker from third. Scott hit an RBI double to center to score Davis before another RBI base hit by Holbrook to score Scott. An RBI single by Dayne Leonard, plating Holbrook and Braden Barry, and an RBI double by Grant Hussey, scoring Leonard, extended WVU's lead to 7-1.
Penn State responded with two runs in the bottom of the third. Wood led off the inning with a. double to the corner in right. On a 2-2 pitch, Bartels launched a fly ball to the picnic tables beyond the fence in left for a two-run homer. The Nittany Lions cut their deficit to 7-2.
West Virginia scored a run in the top of the fourth. Three straight singles by Davis, Wetherholt and Scott II produced a run as Davis crossed the plate.
Penn State answered with two more runs in the fifth. Following a one-out walk by Bartels, Spiegel hit a fly ball over the wall in right for a two-run, opposite-field homer. The Nittany Lions trailed 8-4 after five.
The Nittany Lions welcome Purdue for a three-game Big Ten series, beginning on Thursday. First pitch on Thursday and Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m., while Saturday's contest is set for 1 p.m.
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Cole Bartels (left) and Josh Spiegel (right) both hit two-run homers