ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Penn State baseball team fell, 3-1, against Michigan on Sunday afternoon at Ray Fisher Stadium. The Nittany Lions got six strong innings from starter Jaden Henline but couldn't come back from an early two-run deficit. Penn State is now 12-8 on the season, while Michigan moved to 12-11.
Jaden Henline made his first start of the season for the Nittany Lions. Henline tossed six innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out three while not walking a batter. Henline retired the side in four of his six innings. Steven Miller threw the final two frames. He gave up one run on two hits. Miller recorded three strikeouts and walked one batter.
Noah Rennard got the start for Michigan, going 5.2 innings. He gave up one run on four hits. Rennard struck out two batters and walked one. Jacob Denner earned the save, throwing the final 3.1 innings. He didn't allow a run or hit while striking out three.
The Nittany Lions recorded four hits. Thomas Bramley had an RBI double, while Tayven Kelley singled and scored a run. Kyle Hannon and Johnny Piacentino each had a base knock.
Michigan tallied five hits. Jonathan Kim had a hit and two RBI, while Mitch Voit doubled and scored a run. Cody Jefferis had an RBI single.
The Nittany Lions got a pair of runners on base in the opening frame. With two outs, Hannon lined a single to right-center. Piacentino shot a grounder through the left side to move Hannon to second. However, a lineout was snagged by the leaping shortstop to end the inning.
Michigan took the lead in the third. With runners on second and third, a ground out by Kim allowed Jack Van Remortal to score. A single by Jefferis brought Voit home from second. The Wolverines led 2-0 through three innings.
Penn State cut the deficit in half in the sixth. Kelley led off the inning with a single to left. Bramley followed with a double off the wall in left-center as Kelley scored from first. The inning continued as a groundout moved Bramley to third. A walk by Piacentino put runners on the corners. However, a called third strike ended the inning. The Nittany Lions trailed 2-1.
Michigan added a run in the eighth. Gabe Sotres started the inning with a single to left. A sac bunt moved Sotres to second and a ground out moved him to third. A ground ball by Kim resulted in a wild throw to first, which allowed Sotres to score. Michigan extended its lead to 3-1.
The Nittany Lions host Pitt on Tuesday, March 28 for a non-conference matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Every Tuesday home game is Dollar Dog Night.
Penn State welcomes Indiana next weekend for its Big Ten home-opening series. The series begins on Friday, March 31 with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Season and single game tickets for the 2023 Penn State baseball season are available here. Season tickets are $75 for adults and free for youth (ages 12 and under).
The 2023 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Thomas Bramley