UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Strong pitching and a season-high seven extra base hits led Penn State to a 7-6 walk-off win over UMass Lowell Saturday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Penn State (12-3) ultimately won its fourth-straight game, but had to work for it, as it let a three-run lead slip away in the top of the ninth inning after a pair of errors allowed UMass Lowell (2-15) to tie the game at 6-6.
Right fielder Kris Kremer (Hershey, Pa.) gave the Nittany Lions a chance to regain the lead though in the bottom half with a stand-up triple to right-center field with one out. After UMass Lowell RHP Joshua Becker (1-1) earned a strikeout, left fielder Mason Nadeau (Lansdale, Pa.) stepped up to bat with two outs and hit a routine fly ball to left field, but it was dropped, allowing Kremer to score the game-winning run.
RHP Kyle Virbitsky (1-0) (Media, Pa.) earned the win in relief, battling through 2.1 innings as he faced bases-loaded situations three times. Virbitsky first entered in the top of the seventh to get the Lions out of a bases loaded jam without allowing any inherited runners to score. He then earned his third strikeout in the eighth after an error loaded the bases. The River Hawks scored in the ninth on a hit and two errors though, but none of the three runs were earned.
RHP Bailey Dees (Charlotte, N.C.) started for Penn State and struck out a career-high 10 batters in a career-high 6.2 innings. He faced the minimum through the first four innings, retiring the lone batter to reach on a hit by catching him stealing. UMass Lowell was able to score two runs against him in the fifth after a pair of runners who had reached on infield hits scored when catcher Ciaran Devenney hit a fly to the left gap that dropped for a double after miscommunication by the Nittany Lion outfielders. Dees did not issue a walk until the seventh when he walked back-to-back hitters in full counts to load the bases in the seventh. LHP Tyler Shingledecker (Huntersville, N.C.) issued another full-count walk after Dees left the game, resulting in a lead-off single that Dees allowed scoring for his third charged run.
Seven of Penn State's 13 hits in the game were for extra bases including a home run, three triples and three doubles.
A home run started the scoring in the bottom of the third inning, as designated hitter Ryan Ford (Freehold, N.J.) led the frame off with a single up the middle and third baseman Justin Williams (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) followed by launching a ball over the wall in the right field to mark his first career home run and give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 advantage.
Devenney's two-run double after the misplay in the outfield tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fifth, but Penn State was quick to strike back. Ford tripled down the right line to lead-off the bottom half and he scored on a one-out infield single hit by pinch-hitter Connor Klemann (Royersford, Pa.) for a 3-2 lead.
The Nittany Lions extended their lead in the sixth inning with three-straight hits to open the bottom half. Catcher Jacob Padilla (Wylie, Texas) roped his second double of the day down the left field line to start the inning, and he scored easily when Nadeau tripled down the right field line. Shortstop Conlin Hughes (Holly Springs, N.C.) followed with a single up the middle to score Nadeau, and Hughes later scored from third on a wild pitch after previously stealing second and advancing to third on a groundout.
UMass Lowell scored the next four runs, but never led in the game, as Penn State scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
The teams are scheduled to conclude the series as scheduled Sunday starting at noon.
The 2019 Penn State baseball season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Tickets are on sale online by clicking here or by calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711.
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NOTES: It was Penn State's third walk-off win of the season, as the Nittany Lions won their season opener in a neutral site contest against Monmouth on a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the ninth (2/15) and Gavin Homer blasted a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th in a neutral site contest against Fairfield (2/24) … Penn State is 5-0 in one-run games this year after going 5-13 in one run games last year … Penn State is off to its best start since also opening the 1980 season with a 12-3 record … The two teams were supposed to play a doubleheader Saturday, but the second game was canceled due to cold temperatures.
