Feb. 18, 2011
ST. PETERSBURG, Fl. - Highlighted by a crucial five-run rally in the top of the seventh, the Penn State baseball team built up just enough cushion to stave off a late Seton Hall surge as the Nittany Lions opened the 2011 season with an 8-6 victory over the Pirates on the first day of the third annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at Progress Energy Park on a beautiful Friday afternoon.
Sean Deegan and Joey DeBernardis led the onslaught as both juniors knocked in a pair during the contest. Eight different Lions also scored a run in the game, while reliever Ryan Ignas picked up the victory after allowing only one earned run over the final 3.2 innings of play.
The victory marks the third time in the last four years that the Nittany Lions have opened the season with a win. The squad has also defeated Seton Hall during each of the three challenges dating back to 2009.
After holding the lead for much of the game, Penn State watched as Seton Hall muscled its way back into the contest with a two-spot in the sixth that knotted the score at three. Refusing to let up, the Nittany Lions fired right back and took control with a huge rally in the top of the seventh.
Pinch hitter Ryan Clark opened the inning in perfect fashion as he launched a triple to right center before scoring on a wild pitch. Later, following a single by Luis Montesinos and a double by Jordan Steranka, DeBernardis greeted a new pitcher with a crushing double to right that plated both runners. Keeping the pressure on, Bobby Jacobs lined an RBI single to right before a passed ball brought home the final run of the inning.
Holding an 8-3 advantage, Penn State cruised through the next two innings behind the right arm of Ignas. The junior reliever faced the minimum in the seventh and eighth before Seton Hall posted a last-ditch effort in the bottom of the ninth.
Facing a five-run deficit, the Pirates benefited from two Penn State errors and back-to-back hits by Sean Gusrang and Frank Esposito to pull within two at 8-6. With two down, Seton Hall had a chance for more as the squad placed the tying runs on base for Zach Granite. Despite the scare, Ignas came through in the end as he induced a fly ball to end the contest.
Nittany Lion ace Heath Johnson also had a strong day on the mound in his first start of the season. During the game, he earned a no-decision after striking out two and scattering three hits and one run over 4.2 innings.
In the early part of the game, Johnson was backed up by a strong defensive effort to help keep the Pirates off the board. In the bottom of the first, Montesinos made a great play to keep Seton Hall from grabbing an early lead. With two outs, Will Walsh reached base before cleanup hitter Sean Gusrang lined a shot to right. After getting a read on the ball, Montesinos backpedaled and made an off-balanced, out-stretched snag to silence SHU.
Following the defensive gem, the offense came to life in the top of the second. Walks to Mario Eramo and Blake Lynd along with a Pirate miscue loaded the bases with two outs. With the pressure on, Deegan quickly came through as the junior speedster lined a base hit through the right side of the infield that plated both runs and gave Penn State a 2-0 lead.
Staring at an early hole, Seton Hall regrouped and halved its deficit in the bottom of the inning. After the Pirates loaded the bases with two outs, they got on the board following a wild pitch that allowed Frank Esposito to scamper home.
With Seton Hall whittling away at its deficit, Penn State fired back in the fourth. Following a pitching change, Lynd worked a walk before Deegan smacked a tailing line drive towards the left centerfield gap. Although Ryan Sullivan tracked the ball nicely, he was unable to complete the play as the ball bounced free from his grasp and allowed Lynd to score.
Leading 3-1, Penn State kept it there with another strong defensive play in the bottom of the fourth. After a two-out walk, Sullivan ripped a line drive to right. Montesinos quickly played the ball on a hop and ended the threat after firing a perfect strike that eventually helped cut down Sullivan attempting to stretch the play into a double.
Seton Hall could not be held down for long, however, as the squad shot back two innings later. In the bottom of the sixth, SHU fired a pair of runs on the board to knot the game at three. Following a lead-off hit by Giuseppe Papaccio and a sacrifice bunt, the Pirates pieced together three straight singles, highlighted by RBI knocks from Sullivan and A.J. Rubarsky, to even the score.
Unfazed, Penn State came right back and tossed five runs on the board in the seventh before surviving the late Seton Hall scare to seal the victory.
The Nittany Lions will return to action tomorrow at 1 p.m. as the squad continues the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge with a battle against West Virginia at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater.