UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A Kris Kremer (Hershey, Pa.) inside-the-park home run and an RBI-double by Justin Williams (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) were not enough, as Pittsburgh responded with seven unanswered runs for a 7-2 win Wednesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Williams continued his hot-hitting against Pittsburgh (9-22), going 3-for-4 with the RBI-double. He went a combined 6-for-9 with five RBIs and two doubles over the two-game, home-and-home series with the Panthers, as Penn State (17-12) defeated Pitt in Pittsburgh on March 12, 7-3.
Penn State was able to avoid trouble until the sixth inning after stranding two each in the second and third innings and leaving the bases loaded in both the fourth and fifth innings. However, the Panthers rallied with runs in each of the remaining four innings. Right fielder Nico Poppa wenr 3-for-4 with two runs scored and first baseman Bryce O'Farrell drove in a game-high three RBIs. Pitt left 17 runners on base for the game.
Penn State started the scoring in the second inning as shortstop Kremer hit an inside-the-park home run to center field. The center fielder tried to make a play on the ball at the wall, but it bounced off of it and rolled away allowing Kremer to beat the throw home. Catcher Jacob Padilla (Wylie, Texas) followed with a walk and he was able to score from first on a double to the right-center gap by Williams allowing Penn State to finish the inning with a 2-0 lead.
Pittsburgh finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth with a with a two-RBI single by O'Farrell to tie the game.
RHP Kyle Virbitsky (Media, Pa.) got Penn State out of the sixth, retiring the next two batters to end the inning without allowing the Panthers to take the lead. Pitt did take a 3-2 lead though in the seventh when Virbitsky was unable to get the call in a full count with the bases loaded, walking in the go-ahead run.
The Panthers added three insurance runs in the eighth. Catcher Cole MacLarnen hit a two-RBI single to left and another run scored on a ground out by second baseman Gregory Ryan, Jr. for a 6-2 lead.
Pitt added a run in the ninth for the final margin.
RHP Conor Larkin (Royersford, Pa.) started for Penn State and pitched 4.2 innings with a career-high eight strikeouts. With the bases loaded and two outs for Pittsburgh in the fifth, freshman LHP Hutch Gagnon (Downington, Pa.) came in and ended the inning with just one pitch, inducing a foul pop-up. The Lions used a total of four pitchers.
Pitt's bullpen shutout Penn State over the final seven innings. RHP Brady Devereux (2-0) earned the win, striking out four and yielding just a hit and a walk, while RHP Chase Smith (3) struck out seven over the final three innings for the save, allowing just two hits and a walk.
Penn State takes the field again at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Friday at 6:30 p.m., hosting Nebraska to open a three-game Big Ten series.
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.
Follow Penn State baseball on Twitter and Instagram at @PennStateBASE and Facebook at /pennstatebaseball for all of the latest news and updates and behind the scenes action.
NOTES: Kremer hits his first home run since his three-HR game against Duke (3/2) … All four of Kremer's home runs have come against ACC teams … Penn State fell to 16-5 in non-conference games … Jordan Bowersox extended his hitting streak to 10 games … Kremer extended his reached base streak to 17 games … With 12 strikeouts in the game, Penn State has struck out nine or more batters in 23 out of 29 games this season.