UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Conor Larkin threw six shutout innings on the mound for Penn State on Wednesday in a 3-2 win, holding off a late comeback bid from the Lafayette Leopards.
Mason Mellott, Penn State's closer was on the mound with two outs and runners on a first and second when a soft ground ball from Trey Durrah looked like it would squeak through the right side of the infield to tie the game. Then out of nowhere, defensive replacement Kris Kremer streaked into shallow right field, gathered the ground ball and fired to the plate to catch Justin Johnson trying to score to end the game.
"What you saw today from Kris Kremer was an unbelievable play," head coach Rob Cooper said.
Penn State's pitching has stepped up recently, lead by the weekend starters and Larkin. They continued that momentum into the mid-week, an area that has been a struggle at times for Penn State.
In need of a big start with a bullpen recovering from a long weekend on the road, Cooper got exactly what he needed from Larkin.
"He gave us six solid quality innings which is big, especially because over the weekend we had to use a lot of arms. So for him to go out and give us six and keep us in a good place to win the game, he competed."
Lafayette outhit the Nittany Lions but couldn't cash in when it mattered, leaving 12 men on base.
Seven of those 12 left on came in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Larkin, however, was able to slam the door in each frame.
"Obviously it shuts down their momentum. The thing that coach Newman and all of us really preach is you've got to trust that you're good enough even with the bases loaded you can pitch out of it. You don't need to be perfect. What happens sometimes is someone gets on and before players truly mature they are too busy worrying about the guy who is on base. Instead of thinking you're good enough and that's what I think Conor did a good job of today."
Larkin finished with six strong innings and seven strikeouts without allowing a walk. In what was his fourth start of the year he lowered his season ERA to 2.81. This trails only Mason Mellott and the teams ace, Dante Biasi.
With velocity in the low nineties and as Cooper said, a growing trust in his slider, Larkin has emerged as another excellent starter for the Nittany Lions.
"Conor is a guy we think has a chance to be as good as anybody on our staff," Cooper said. "He has the velocity, and when he really trusts his slider, it's a plus pitch. I think he has a chance to play professional baseball for a long time. For him, it's just a matter of trusting himself and going after guys. If he gets beat going after guys, then we can do some work from there and moving forward. I thought he did a good job with that."
Penn State will have Thursday off before returning to Medlar Field to take on Big Ten opponent Maryland, with Dante Biasi, the Big Ten's ERA leader on the mound.
