4 Kent State (26-13, 11-4 MAC) | Kent, Ohio • Schoonover Stadium • Attendance: 264 | 1 Penn State (17-20, 5-6 B1G) |
KENT, Ohio; April 22, 2014 - The Penn State Nittany Lions (17-120, 5-6 Big Ten) were unable to generate much offense on Tuesday evening, recording just four hits in a 4-1 loss to Kent State (26-13, 11-4 MAC). The loss is Penn State's first in a midweek game since a March 12 loss at Fresno State.
Geoff Boylston (West Chester, Pa.) had his second solid start of the year in as many opportunities. The junior finished with a line of five innings pitched, allowing two earned runs off four hits and two walks. Boylston struck out a career-high six Golden Flash hitters.
The Penn State offense struggled at the plate in Kent, Ohio. The Nittany Lions were held to just four hits over the nine innings with Ryan Richter (Wayne, Pa.), James Coates (Girard, Ohio), Nick Riotto (Washington, Pa.) and Alex Malinsky (Apex, N.C.). Richter drove in the Blue and White's lone run in the game.
Tuesday's game began as a pitcher's duel, as Boylston and Kent State's Andy Ravel each allowed just one hit through the first three frames. Boylston struck out four batters in his first three innings of work, using his curveball to fan the Golden Flash hitters.
After Ravel tossed another scoreless inning in the top of the fourth, the Golden Flashes broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff walk to Alex Miklos followed by a passed ball that allowed the junior to move up 90 feet into scoring position. The next Kent State hitter in Cody Koch singled to right center to score Miklos for the first run of the evening.
The Golden Flashes managed to open up a four-run lead in the sixth, scoring three runs in the inning off just one base hit. After a leadoff single from Koch, the Nittany Lions hit a batter and then committed an error to load the bases. The hosts then scored with a walk and tacked on two more runs off back-to-back sacrifice hits.
The Nittany Lions got a run back in the top of the seventh inning. Tyler Kendall (Boynton Beach, Fla.) led off with a walk and then moved to second on a groundout. After Malinsky reached on an error to put runners on the corners with two outs, Richter singled to center to score Kendall and draw Penn State within three runs at 4-1.
Kent State's pitching put the clamps on Penn State's offense in the eighth and ninth innings, blanking the Nittany Lions in the final two frames to secure a 4-1 victory.
Penn State travels to Minneapolis, Minn. later this week for a weekend Big Ten series against the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. ET on Friday, April 25.