April 2, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team will head to Kent State on Wednesday, playing in just its fourth mid-week contest of the season. The Nittany Lions (5-18, 0-6 Big Ten) will face the Golden Flashes (11-14, 4-2 MAC) at 5 p.m. at Olga Mural Field. The non-conference matchup will be available via Live Stats.
Last Time Out: The Lions hosted Purdue in their first home Big Ten series of the year, falling 6-1, 5-4 and 7-5 to the Boilermakers. The squad was led by redshirt freshman Ryky Smith (York, Pa.), who went 4-for-8 in his two appearances, recording his first career double along the way. Smith went 3-for-4 in the extra inning, 5-4 loss to the Boilers, scoring two runs to keep Penn State in the game. Freshman Tyler Kendall (Boynton Beach, Fla.) stepped up for the Lions, as well, batting .400 in two appearances with two RBIs and his first career double. Posting big performances in the final two contests of the weekend, senior Luis Montesinos (Miami, Fla.) sent a hard hit through the left side to bat in Smith in the bottom of the ninth inning of the 5-4 loss, with junior Alex Farkes (Boston, Mass.) scoring the game-tying run on the same play. The duo each went on to collect two RBIs and two hits in the close 7-5 loss.
Penn State posted a team ERA of 3.54 in the Purdue series, with freshman Nick Hedge (Winnetka, Ill.) firing 3.1 innings of relief with one earned run and just three hits allowed. Senior Steven Hill (Colleyville, Texas) went 7.0 innings in his sixth start of the season with three earned runs and eight hits, while junior Greg Welsh (Holland, Pa.) pitched a career-high of 8.0 innings and recorded a career-best 11 strikeouts against the Boilers. Welsh allowed nine hits and three earned runs in the final contest of the series, and was relieved by sophomore Ryan Harper (Texas City, Texas). Harper, who will make the start on Wednesday against the Golden Flashes, closed out the game by holding the Boilers hitless in the ninth inning to move to a 3.80 ERA.
Scouting the Golden Flashes: Kent State has gone 3-2 in its last five contests, most recently defeating Toledo 7-5 on Tuesday, April 2. The Golden Flashes hold an overall record of 11-14 with a 4-2 mark in the MAC. The squad is led by Sawyer Pole, who currently boasts a .355 batting average with 33 hits in 93 at-bats. Three Golden Flashes are currently batting over .300, with Polen, Evan Campbell, Alex Miklos, T.J. Sutton and Derek Toadvine each recording over 20 hits this season. Polen and Campbell lead the team with 33 hits each, while Campbell leads with 19 RBIs and Miklos leads with 19 runs scored. The group has combined for 143 hits, 61 RBIs and 82 runs. Right-handed pitcher Nick Jensen-Clagg will face off with Harper on the mound, currently holding a 7.56 ERA and a 1-2 record on the season. The freshman has fired 16.2 innings, allowing 21 hits and 14 earned runs while striking out 10. Kent State's bullpen is led by Brian Clark and Dan Kopcak, holding ERAs of 0.79 in eight appearances and 1.17 in four appearances, respectively.
All-Time Series: Penn State holds the advantage in the all-times series against Kent State with an overall 6-4 record. The two squads first competed on April 4, 2007, with the Lions winning 9-3 in Penn State's inaugural season at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Last season, Penn State topped the Golden Flashes twice, winning 9-7 on April 3 and 6-4 on April 25.
Up Next: The Nittany Lions will host Wright State for a non-conference weekend series, with action beginning on Friday, April 5 at 6:05 p.m. at Medlar Field. Friday's contest will feature free appetizer coupons to the Texas Roadhouse for all fans while supplies last, and Sunday's 12:05 p.m. contest will welcome all children in attendance to run the bases following the conclusion of the game. Saturday's first pitch is slated for 2:05 p.m., with all games available via GameTracker and Listen Live at GoPSUsports.com
Tickets: Season tickets for students are just $20, with Student General Admission tickets starting at $2 and Student Bleacher tickets at $1. Season tickets for Adult General Admission start at $63, while Adult General Admission tickets are sold for $4. For fans interested in the Diamond Club "In the Box" seats, single games start at $6 and season tickets will be sold for $99. Youth General Admission and Season tickets are the same cost as student tickets. Single game tickets can be purchased at the Spikes' Box Office or via the Tickets page on GoPSUSports.com.
Check back to GoPSUSports.com for continued updates during the 2013 season. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PennStateBASE and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstatebaseball.