March 28, 2018
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" With both teams struggling to command the strike zone, Cornell prevailed over Penn State, 10-6 in a non-conference baseball contest called in the top of the eighth inning due to fog.
Cornell (3-9) carried an 8-6 lead into the eighth inning and scored a pair of runs on fly balls that landed for RBI-doubles that the Penn State (7-11) outfielders could not find in the fog. With just one out in the inning, the umpires met and talked with the respective team's coaches, and the determination was made to call the game.
Unrelated to the fog, both teams' pitching staffs struggled to throw strikes, as both teams walked 10 batters each and combined for five hit batsmen (Penn State 3, Cornell 2).
Leading Penn State offensively was left fielder Braxton Giavedoni (Punxsutawney, Pa.), scoring two runs on two doubles, as center fielder Mason Nadeau (Lansdale, Pa.) also went 2-for-4 and drove him home both times with base hits. Freshman catcher Derek Orndorff (Mill Run, Pa.) walked four times.
Cornell was paced by shortstop Kalani Matton, who hit a two-run home run and also singled and scored, and third baseman Will Simoneit, who drove in a game-high three runs.
Penn State and Cornell were tied until Cornell took the lead for good with a three-run fourth inning.
The game was knotted at 2-2 after the second inning. In the top half, Cornell shortstop Matton hit a two-run home run off the left field pole, but in the bottom half Penn State scored two to tie it up, with all of the offense taking place with two outs. Shortstop Joe Weisenseel (Strongsville, Ohio) kept the inning alive with a single, and then a balk and three-straight walks advanced him all the way home. Second baseman Conlin Hughes (Holly Springs, N.C.) then scored from third on a wild pitch.
The game was then knotted at 3-3 after the third. Cornell retook the lead in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly as, with one out, Simoneit lifted a ball to right field, and catcher Ellis Bitar just beat the throw home to score from third. LHP Marko Boricich (Chicago, Ill.) (0-3) then relieved RHP Bailey Dees (Charlotte, N.C.) for the final out, inducing a liner that Nadeau nabbed with a sliding catch. Penn State again tied it in the bottom half though, as Giavedoni hit a one-out double down the right line and scored on a Nadeau single.
However, Cornell was able to score three runs on just one hit in the fourth for a 6-3 lead, taking advantage of four walks and a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Dale Wickham.
Penn State cut into Cornell's three-run deficit with two in the fifth. First baseman Shea Sbranti (Oakley, Calif.) walked to lead-off the frame, Giavedoni followed with his second double of the night to advance him to third, and Nadeau drove him home with a single to right. After a pitching change, shortstop Logan Goodnight (Wheeling, W.Va.) was plunked to load the bases, and then Hughes hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Giavedoni to score.
Cornell restored its three-run lead the very next frame though, as Simoneit singled with the bases loaded to drive in two for an 8-5 lead.
The Nittany Lions added a run on a pair of errors in the seventh, but the fog increased in the eighth, forcing a premature conclusion to the game.
RHP Jeb Bemiss (1-1) earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. RHP Colby Wyatt (1) earned the save, holding the Nittany Lions hitless, but yielding a walk and unearned run over what proved to be the final two innings. He also struck out three.
Penn State next opens its home Big Ten slate, hosting Purdue for three games starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. Promotional highlights include Dollar Dog Night Friday, Riddance to Winter Yard Games and a family picnic concessions deal Saturday (2 p.m.) and an Easter Brunch Sunday (11 a.m.)
Season, flex and single-game tickets for the 2018 season, presented by Family Clothesline, are available online at GoPSUsports.com or by calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711.
Check back to GoPSUSports.com for continued updates on Penn State Baseball. Follow on Twitter at @PennStateBASE and Facebook at Penn State Baseball.
Notes: Braxton Giavedoni's two doubles marked the first two-double game by a Nittany Lion since Alex Malinsky did the same on March 30, 2017, also against Cornell … Derek Orndorff's four walks were the most by a Nittany Lions since James Coates walked four times against NYIT on March 11, 2016.