BRADENTON, Fla. – Penn State RHP Eric Mock (Shillington, Pa.) threw six, two-hit shutout innings and left with a lead, but No. 21 Duke was able to rally with nine unanswered runs for a 9-2 win over the Nittany Lions Sunday afternoon at IMG Academy Baseball Park.
Mock struck out six and yielded just two hits and a walk, but was lifted after his pitch count went above 100. Penn State (7-2) carried a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning, but Duke (9-2) exploded for five runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth. Center fielder Kennie Taylor hit a home run in each inning, driving in six of the nine runs.
Second baseman Gavin Homer (Battle Creek, Mich,) led the game off with a home run to give the Nittany Lions an early lead. The score remained the same until the sixth inning, when the Nittany Lions extended it to 2-0 on an RBI-triple by Parker Hendershot (Barton, N.Y.)
Duke took command against the Penn State bullpen though. In the seventh, Taylor hit a one-out grand slam and third baseman Erickson Nichols drove in another run with a base hit for a 5-2 lead. In the eighth, right fielder Cody Cheek hit an RBI-double and Taylor followed with a two-run home run for the final margin. Cheek finished the game going 3-for-5.
RHP Ben Gross (2-0) earned the win with one inning of relief, allowing a run but striking out three. RHP Cooper Stinson started for Duke and struck out six in five innings, allowing three hits and four walks, including Homer's home run. LHP Tyler Shingledecker (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
In addition to his triple, Hendershot also doubled and went 2-for-4 on the day to lead Penn State with a pair of extra base hits. Right fielder Mac Hippenhammer (Fort Wayne, Ind.) made his first start of the season and matched Cheek's game-high of three hits for his first-career multi-hit game.
Penn State next plays at UCF, opening a three-game series Friday at 6 p.m.
Penn State opens its home slate Mar. 15 and 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: Penn State has had a first-inning home run in three of its last four games …Homer's lead-off home run was Penn State's first since Nick Riotto hit one against Maryland on April 30, 2016 … At 7-2, Penn State is off to its best start since starting the 1980 season 8-1.
