COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Penn State baseball team showed tremendous fight to earn a 6-4 win in 10 innings over Maryland on Saturday afternoon at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium. The Terrapins are ranked 23rd in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and 25th in the Baseball America Poll. The Nittany Lions rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the eighth and take the lead in the 10th.
Penn State improved to 10-14 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play with its first win in a true road game against a ranked opponent for the first time since a 15-5 win over No. 16 Michigan on May 13, 2007. The Nittany Lions recorded their first win against a ranked opponent away from home since March 2, 2019 against No. 21 Duke (8-7).
The Terrapins dropped to 21-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Maryland entered the game with an 11-0 record at home.
Kellan Tulio made his sixth start of the season. The junior went 2.1 innings, charged with three runs on three hits. He struck out three batters and walked two. Steven Miller finished the third and went a career-high 4.1 shutout innings. Miller allowed three hits and a walk, while striking out four. Jordan Morales entered the game with two outs in the seventh and retired the only batter he faced. Travis Luensmann took over on the mound in the eighth and finished the game with a strong three innings. Luensmann allowed one run on three hits, while striking out five and walking four. His 83-pitch relief outing helped Luensmann to collect his first win as a Nittany Lion.
Ryan Ramsey started on the mound for the Terrapins, going eight innings. Ramsey gave up three runs on seven hits. He recorded eight strikeouts and two walks. Sean Heine took over in the ninth, with a shutout inning, including two strikeouts. Nick Robinson entered the game in the 10th inning, giving up three runs on four hits.
The Nittany Lions tallied six runs on 12 hits, including a go-ahead two-run double by Tayven Kelley in the 10th. Kelley entered the game off the bench in the eighth. Johnny Piacentino launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth. Cole Bartels went three-for-five with a double and two runs, while Matt Wood had two hits, including an RBI single. Jay Harry added an RBI double, while Ben Kailher had two hits.
Maryland collected four runs on nine hits. Nick Lorusso had two hits, an RBI and a run. Luke Shliger tallied a double and two runs.
The Terrapins got on the board in the first. Shliger led off the inning with a double to the gap in right-center. Chris Alleyne followed by hitting a grounder through the middle to allow Shliger to score from second. Maryland led 1-0 after one inning.
Maryland added two runs in the third. With the bases loaded, Lorusso singled on a line drive to center to score Sean Lane from third. After a pitching change, a sac fly to right by Matt Shaw allowed Shliger to cross the plate. Maryland led 3-0 through three innings.
The Nittany Lions cut the deficit to one in the top of the sixth. Bartels began the inning by lining a ball to the gap in right-center for a leadoff double. Piacentino followed by launching the first pitch he faced over the wall in left for a two-run homer. Penn State trailed 3-2 going into the seventh.
Penn State tied the game in the top of the eighth. Tyson Cooper drew a leadoff walk. A groundout by Bartels allowed pinch-runner Derek Cease to move up to second. Two batters later, Wood sprayed a line drive into left-center to plate Cease and even the game at 3-3.
The blue and white broke the tie with three runs in the top of the 10th. Pinch-hitter CJ Pittaro led off the inning with a single to center. Bartels followed with a single placed the same to put runners on first and second. Two batters later, Kelley roped a double to the gap in left-center to drive in both runners. Harry sent a groundball down the line in right for his own double, scoring Kelley, to put Penn State ahead, 6-3.
In the bottom of the 10th, Maryland loaded the bases with no outs. Luensmann fought back to get a groundout by Troy Schreffler, which scored Lorusso from third. Penn State's sophomore righty retired Bobby Zmarzlak on a strikeout before a soft line drive by Zach Martin was caught by a diving Kailher in shallow right field to end the game.
The Nittany Lions conclude the series with the Terrapins on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Tayven Kelley