March 17, 2015
| 6 | 1 |
| 12 Innings | Cost Field | Pittsburgh | Atten: 257 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| VIDEO: Postgame Comments |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
PITTSBURGH - After eight consecutive scoreless innings in a 1-1 game, Penn State exploded for five runs in the 12th to defeat Pittsburgh, 6-1, in non-conference baseball action Tuesday evening on Charles L. Cost Field.
Penn State (2-13) left fielder Greg Guers (Langhorne, Pa.) drove in the deciding runs in the game, tying it in the third with an RBI-double, and then singling with runners on the corners in the 12th.
The Nittany Lion pitchers did not yield an unearned run, as starter LHP Jordan Donmoyer (Lititz, Pa.) enjoyed a career-best outing, yielding just the unearned run on a hit and two walks in five innings of work. RHP Jack Anderson (Evanston, Ill.) (1-2) earned the win with 4 2/3 innings of relief, yielding just three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
A leadoff error proved costly to PSU in the second inning, as Pittsburgh (8-10) second baseman Jordan Frabasilio stole second, advanced to third on a fly out to right, and scored on a groundout by catcher Manny Pazos.
The Lions got on the scoreboard the next inning though, as Guers doubled with two outs to score second baseman Taylor Skerpon (Sayre, Pa.).
Both teams missed opportunities to score over the next eight innings. The Lions left the bases loaded with one out in the sixth inning after hitting into a double play, stranded two in scoring position in the seventh and left the bases loaded in the ninth. The Panthers had two runners in scoring position in the bottom half of the seventh, but ran into a double play on a failed squeeze bunt attempt, and then had the bases loaded in the 11th.
With one out in the 12th, Penn State finally broke the tie. Catcher Nick Graham (Chambersburg, Pa.) struck out but reached on a wild pitch, advanced to second on a passed ball and advanced to third on an infield single by Skerpon. Guers followed with a single to right to drive in the go-ahead run, and then right fielder Aaron Novak (Ambler, Pa.), first baseman J.J. White (Lansdowne, Va.) (2) and centerfielder Ryan Richter (Wayne, Pa.) each added RBIs as the Lions batted around.
White and Richter led the Lions with three hits each, accounting for nearly half of the team's 13 hits in the game.
Six different Pitt batters had a hit each. The Panthers used five pitchers, and RHP Hobie Harris (1-1) suffered the loss with all of the 12th-innnig runs charged to him.
It was the longest game PSU had played since a 12-inning win over Bucknell in 2013, and the longest game ever played in 127 meetings with Pittsburgh. The only previous extra-inning game in the intrastate rivalry was in 1921, a 5-2 Penn State victory.
The game concluded a stretch of 15 consecutive road games for the Nittany Lions. They will open a 10-game homestand Wednesday against Canisius at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available at GoPSUsports.com. The first 300 fans will receive a voucher for free hot chocolate.