March 26, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team dropped a tough 7-1 final to Hofstra in the home opener at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday. Sophomore Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) provided the Lions' lone run with a sixth-inning long ball while redshirt senior Mike Wanamaker (Upper Nyack, N.Y.) bounced back from a tough first inning to go six full in his third start of the season.
For the second straight start, Wanamaker tossed six innings, allowing five earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks. A bright spot out of the bullpen was junior Jesse Alfreno (Grove City, Pa.), who threw two hitless innings, allowing one unearned run while striking out one. Junior Calvin Grumley (Johnsonburg, Pa.) came in to finish the game, blanking the Pride in the ninth inning while notching a strikeout.
Steranka spearheaded the offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with a home run to improve his batting average to .316. Deegan went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, his fourth-career multi-hit game. Junior Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) and Heath Johnson (Alamagordo, N.M.) each chipped in with a hit apiece.
Hofstra came roaring out of the gate, notching three runs in the top of the first inning. After a fly out to center field, the Pride registered four straight hits (three singles and a double) to plate three runs. Heath gunned down Hofstra's John Kenny going for second to register the second out and Wanamaker forced a groundout to senior shortstop Louie Picconi (North Merrick. N.Y.) to bring the Nittany Lions up to bat. An infield single by Deegan in the bottom of the inning went for naught, as the Lions' next three batters were retired to strand Deegan on third.
After a scoreless second, Heath stood tall in the top of the third, gunning down an attempted base stealer while recording another out at first following a dropped third strike.
The bottom of the fourth showed some promise as Steranka singled to right and Heath doubled down the third base line to advance Steranka to third base. Penn State could not convert however, as two consecutive groundouts stranded runners on the corners.
Hofstra notched another run in the top of the fifth to open up a 4-0 advantage. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mike Walraven worked a walk following a lengthy at-bat which featured a number of foul balls.
Things were looking up for Penn State in the bottom of the inning, as redshirt freshman Elliot Searer (Lewistown, Pa.) and freshman Steve Snyder (West Chester, Pa.) both walked and Deegan reached via a bunt single to load the bases for Picconi. Hofstra first baseman Jared Hammer robbed the Lions hopes however, stabbing Picconi's line drive and tagging first for the double play to end the inning.
Hofstra scored a run in the top of the sixth to increase its lead to five, but in the bottom of the inning, it was Steranka getting the Lions on the board with a solo home run to right center field for his third home run of the season.
The Pride scored a single run in each of the next two innings, good for the 7-1 final.
The Nittany Lions return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for three more games against Hofstra this weekend. The teams play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game Sunday. Both games are set for 12:05 p.m. Purchase your tickets today!
Season and individual game tickets are now available can be purchased online or over the phone. Please call 1-877-997-7453 or (814) 272-1711, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. for more information. Fans can also direct any additional questions or comments via phone, or by email (psubaseball@athletics.psu.edu).
Baseball camp information is now available. Call the Sports Camp Office at (814) 865-0561 or email them at SportCampInfo@outreach.psu.edu for more information.
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