Feb. 21, 2016
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| USA Baseball NTC | Cary, N.C. | Attn: 148 | |
POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| VIDEO: Postgame Comments |
FINAL STATISTICS |
CARY, N.C. -- Jim Haley (Upper Darby, Pa.) went 3-for-5 with an RBI to lead Penn State at the plate, but untimely breaks for the Nittany Lions allowed Bryant to earn a 3-1 victory Sunday in the Penn State Baseball Tournament at the USA Baseball National Training Center.
Bryant went 4-0 to post the top record in the tournament, while Penn State followed at 2-2 and Army West Point and Monmouth both went 1-3.
Bryant got on the scoreboard in the first inning, taking advantage of the morning dew. With one out, Bryant centerfielder Matt Albanese hit a deep fly to left field, but left fielder Greg Guers (Langhorne, Pa.) lost his footing when he went to make a break on the ball, preventing him from making a play and allowing Albanese to reach third with a triple. Albanese then came home on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Robby Rinn.
The Bulldogs added another run for a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, scoring from third on wild pitch with two outs.
Haley drove in Penn State's lone run in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Conlin Hughes (Holly Springs, N.C.) doubled and stole third to move into scoring positon, and Guers brought Haley up to the plate after he walked.
The Nittany Lions had runners reach in the sixth and seventh innings, but left on base in each, while Bryant was able to take advantage of a failed pickoff attempt in the top of the ninth for the final margin.
Joe Paparelli entered the game as a pinch-hitter and went 3-for-3 with a double, scoring the winning run on the wild pitch, to lead Bryant at the plate.
RHP Brandon Bingel (1-0) earned the win after pitching five innings and allowing just the one run on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. LHP Justin Snyder struck out five in 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just a n hit and walk, while LHP Logan Lessard yielded just a walk and struck out one in the ninth inning for the save.
LHP Nick Hedge (Winnetka, Ill.) (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing the two runs on five hits with two strikeouts in four innings of work. RHP Nick Distasio (Oley, Pa.) (1 2/3 innings) and RHP Dakota Forsyth (Bethel Park, Pa.) (1 inning) held Bryant scoreless in relief while RHP Jack Anderson (Evanston, Ill.) worked out of a jam in the seventh and pitched the final 2 1/3 innings.
Penn State will next play at South Carolina, opening a three-game series Friday at 4 p.m.