April 28, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 28, 2014 - Penn State hosts Kent State for their second meeting with the Golden Flashes in as many weeks on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. After the game against KSU, the Nittany Lions welcome Mount St. Mary's to Happy Valley on Wednesday, April 30 for their first and only matchup of 2014.
Promotions: Tuesday marks student group night. Cooper's Town sunglasses will be given away while supplies last to all students. Tuesday's game is also the final dollar dog night of the season. On Wednesday there will be free appetizer coupons given away to all fans while supplies last from the Texas Roadhouse.
On Deck: Penn State travels west for its furthest Big Ten road trip this weekend, as the Nittany Lions face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a three-game series in Lincoln. The series will be the final regular season conference road trip for the Blue and White. The first game is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. ET, with the second game set for Saturday at 3:05 p.m. and the finale for 12:05 p.m.
Follow the Games Live: This week's games will have a number of options in ways fans can follow the action. The games can be listened to live on State College ESPN 1450 or can be heard on GoPSUsports.com. Fans can also follow along with the live stats found on GoPSUsports.com, which allows users to get up to the minute stats and plays from the game.
All-Time Series vs. Kent State: Penn State and Kent State first met in a game during the 2007 season and has faced each other 12 more times from 2009-13. The Nittany Lions hold a narrow edge in the matchup with a 7-6 record against the Golden Flashes, including winning four of the last seven matchups. The Blue and White is 2-3 when playing at Kent State, 4-2 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and 1-1 in neutral site affairs. Five of the last seven games between the two squads have been decided by two runs or less.
Kent State at a Glance: The Golden Flashes dropped two of their three games this weekend at Bowling Green, winning the opener and falling in the final two games. Kent State has won 14 of its last 19 contests dating back to the beginning of April. The two sides share a common opponent in Youngstown State, as Kent State is 2-1 against the Penguins and Penn State is 1-0 against YSU. Kent State's most impressive win of the season came in the opening weekend, defeating the University of Arizona in Tucson by a final of 14-5.
KSU at the Dish: The Golden Flashes feature a potent offense, as the team has five hitters with batting averages over .300. Kent State's top hitter for average is Zarley Zalewski, who enters Tuesday with a batting average of .379 (61-for-161). KSU's power threat is Alex Miklos, who sports a slugging percentage of .609 with 28 extra base hits, including three home runs. The Golden Flashes are also dangerous on the basepaths, as the team has combined for 67 steals in 83 attempts.
KSU on the Mound: Through 43 games, Kent State has a team ERA of 3.68. KSU has two starters with sub-3.00 ERAs in Michael Clark and Eric Lauer. Lauer sports a 7-2 record, his seven victories lead the team. The Golden Flash bullpen features Eric Dorsch, who has racked up eight saves in 2014 and has a sparkling ERA of 1.59. Hitters are batting just .169 against the 6-8 junior.
Last Game vs. Kent State: The Nittany Lions struggled offensively in the midweek matchup at Kent State, falling by a final of 4-1. The Blue and White recorded just four hits over the nine innings. The bright spot of the evening came from Geoff Boylston. In the pitcher's second start of the season, Boylston went five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out a career-high six opposing batters.
All-Time Series vs. Mount St. Mary's: Penn State holds a 5-3-1 record over the Mount in the all-time series. The two sides played five times between the years of 1897 and 1905 before taking a hiatus of over 100 years in the series. Penn State and Mount St. Mary's renewed the series in 2007 and have met three more times since. The two teams are 2-2 in the recent games, with the Blue and White winning the most recent matchup on April 24, 2012 by a final of 5-3.
The Mount at a Glance: Mount St. Mary's is on a five-game losing streak entering this week's matchup, losing four of those games agains NEC foe Bryant. The Nittany Lions and the Mount share two common opponents this season in Bucknell and NYIT. Both PSU and MSM went undefeated against NYIT. The Lions went 3-1 against Bucknell and the Mount lost its lone game against BU by a final of 6-1.
MSM at the Dish: The Mount has a team batting average of .267 through 33 games in 2014. Andrew Clow has easily been Mount St. Mary's best hitter this season, posting a batting average of .407. Clow has recorded 22 RBIs and 19 runs over the 33 games. Another member of the Mount who has thrived at the plate is Kory Britton, who has an average of .331.
MSM on the Mound: The Mount has not fared well as a pitching staff this season, combining for an ERA of 6.62. Vincent Molesky and Nick Riley are the team's top two pitchers, each with earned run averages between four and five. Karl Lamont leads the team in innings pitched with 46.0 on the season.
Last Game vs. Mount St. Mary's: The Nittany Lions were victorious in their last clash against the Mount, winning by a final of 5-3 on April 24, 2012. Penn State trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning and then rallied to score five runs in the eighth and held on for the victory. J.J. White picked up a hit and two RBIs in the winning effort.
Last Time Out: The Nittany Lions were swept by the Golden Gophers over the weekend. Penn State dropped a pitcher's duel in the opener by a final of 2-1. In Saturday's doubleheader to wrap up the three-game set, PSU lost game one by a final of 4-0 before dropping a 12-0 contest in the series finale.