March 10, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Penn State baseball (2-11) lost its sixth-straight game on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 3-2 decision to the UAB Blazers. Freshman Aaron Novak (Ambler, Pa.) scored both runs for Penn State, which included his first career hit and homerun in the third inning.
Junior John Walter (Haddonfield, N.J.) tossed six innings of three-run ball, but dropped to 0-3 with the loss. Sophomore Joe Kurrasch (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) relieved Walter and threw two scoreless innings.
UAB struck first in the second inning, when Keith DePew hit an RBI single to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. However, in the third, Novak belted his first career home run to tie the game up at one.
The Blazers would add one in the third and one in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Penn State had numerous opportunities to capitalize. In the sixth inning, senior Joey DeBernardis (Lake Zurich, Ill.) led things off with a double, but the Nittany Lions were unable to get him in. Then in the eighth inning, Penn State had the bases loaded with one out. The Lions did score one, as senior Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) walked and Novak came in to score. Nevertheless, Penn State was unable to break out with the bases loaded opportunity.
Penn State closes out its spring break trip tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET in the series finale with UAB.
Student season ticket sales for the 2012 season will begin on March 12 and continue through March 16 at the HUB, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Season tickets are just $20 and each student that purchases them will get a Penn State Baseball three-quarters sleeve t-shirt, tickets to 19 home games, a free hot dog and soda at Friday home games and two batting practice sessions with the team.
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