March 5, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Penn State baseball team (2-7) closed out its three-game series with a 7-3 loss on Monday evening to the Samford Bulldogs. Penn State fell behind in the fourth inning, but would tie it up in the fifth. However, a three-run sixth would seal the win for the Bulldogs.
Senior Joey DeBernardis (Lake Zurich, Ill.) drove in two on a base-hit in the fifth inning. Senior Sean Deegan (Readington, N.J.) drove in one for the Nittany Lions as well. Sophomore Zach Ell (Plains, Pa.) recorded his second multi-hit game of the season. Sophomore Steve Snyder (West Chester, Pa.) also extended his hit streak to eight games.
Junior right-hander Steven Hill (Colleyville, Texas) went seven and a third innings, striking out six batters.
Hill held the Bulldogs hitless until the fourth inning. Zeth Stone led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and then scored on an RBI single by Saxon Butler. Butler would advance on a wild pitch, then scored on Phillip Ervin's RBI single to centerfield. Samford had a 2-0 lead after four innings.
Penn State answered right back in the next inning. With one out, Ell singled, sophomore Snyder reached on an error, and junior Elliot Searer (Lewistown, Pa.) singled to load the bases. With two outs, DeBernardis came through with a two-run single to centerfield to tie the game up at two.
In the bottom of the sixth, Brandon Miller of the Bulldogs hit his team-leading seventh home run of the season to give Samford a 3-2 lead. The next three batters would get on base and the Bulldogs would put together two more runs on an RBI single and a safety squeeze. Samford had a 5-2 lead.
The Bulldogs added one in the seventh and one in the eighth to extend the lead to 7-2.
In the top of the ninth, Penn State attempted to stay alive. Snyder singled to extend his hit streak and advanced Ell to second. Then, Deegan singled to centerfield to score Ell to make the score 7-3. However, that is all Penn State would get.
Penn State now turns to a two-game series with 23rd-ranked Mississippi State tomorrow. Both games on Tuesday and Wednesday are slated for 7:30 p.m. starts.
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.
Follow Penn State baseball on Twitter: www.twitter.com/psubaseball.