BALTIMORE – Penn State's Justin Williams (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) hit a three-run home run, but it was not enough, as UMBC rallied for a 10-5 win in non-conference baseball action Saturday at Alumni Field.
Penn State (9-4) held a pair of early leads, but both times UMBC (2-9) rallied before extending its lead late.
Center fielder Johnny Piacentino (Cherry Hill, N.J.) led the game off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Williams for the game's first run, but UMBC answered in the bottom half with a two-RBI single up the middle. The second inning was scoreless, with LHP Hutch Gagnon (Downingtown, Pa.) entering with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom half and preventing the Retrievers from adding to their lead.
Penn State went back ahead, 4-2, in the third inning on Williams' three-run home run, which he slugged after Piacentino and first baseman Cole Bartels (Belmont, Mass.) led the inning off with walks. However, UMBC built a 6-4 lead with a run in each of the next four innings, and then added three more in the seventh for a 9-4 advantage.
Second baseman Gavin Homer (Battle Creek, Mich.) hit an RBI-double in the top of the eighth, but UMBC was able to match that run in the bottom half for the final margin.
Next Up
Penn State returns to Navy Sunday at noon to face Fairleigh Dickinson.
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