CARY, N.C. – The Penn State baseball team got a strong performance from both sides of the ball to earn a 15-2 win over Holy Cross on Monday. The Nittany Lions exploded for 16 hits, including a grand slam by Ben Kailher and a two-run homer by Bobby Marsh.
Penn State improved to 7-3 on the season, heading into Wednesday's matchup at No. 14 North Carolina.
Jordan Morales made the start for the Nittany Lions. Morales fired four shutout innings, giving up just two hits and a walk. Morales struck out seven batters, including two each in the first, third and fourth innings.
Kellan Tulio entered the game in the fifth inning and threw two innings. Tulio gave up two runs on three hits and struck out three. Chad Rogers took the mound in the seventh and tosses two shutout innings, striking out one batter. Ryan Partridge closed out the game in the ninth with a scoreless inning and one strikeout.
Tyler Mudd started for the Crusaders, going 2.2 frames. He allowed eight runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out one. Payton Sutman finished the third inning and went 2.1 innings. Sutman gave up two runs on four hits. Ben Talbot pitched two scoreless innings before turning the ball over to Jack Ambrosino threw one inning, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits.
Penn State collected 15 runs on 16 hits. Kailher led the offense with a career-high five RBI, including a grand slam for his first career homer. Marsh added a two-run homer, his first as a Nittany Lion. Johnny Piacentino collected four hits and reached base five times while scoring three runs and driving in one and stealing two bases. Tayven Kelley tallied three hits, including an RBI double, and two runs. Jake Cooper contributed two runs and two RBI.
Holy Cross registered two runs on five hits. Sean Scanlon had a two-run double. Patrick Casserly and Connor Peek each recorded a single and a run.
Penn State tallied three runs in the first inning. Kyle Hannon started the inning with a bunt single to second. He moved up to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a ground ball single through the left side of the infield by Piacentino. Kelley singled to right and Jay Harry drew a walk to load the bases. Two batters later, Jake Cooper lifted a fly ball to right field as Piacentino scored on the sac fly. With Kailher at the plate, Harry took off for second and got in a rundown between first and second, allowing Kelley to score from third. PSU took an early 3-0 lead.
The Nittany Lions posted six runs in the third inning. Piacentino started the inning with a single to right-center. After walks by Kelley and Cooper, Kailher launched a fly ball to left that snuck inside the foul pole for a grand slam. It was his first career homer. Anthony Steele drew a walk before Marsh deposited a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left-center. Marsh's first career dinger gave Penn State a 9-0 advantage.
Penn State extended its lead in the fourth. Piacentino again led off the inning with a single. He stole second and moved up to third on a wild pitch before Kelley roped a line drive to the gap in left-center for a double as Piacentino scored. The Nittany Lions held a 10-0 lead.
Holy Cross plated two runs in the fifth. After singles by Casserly and Peek, Scanlon lined a double to the left-center gap to bring home both runners. Penn State led 10-2.
The Nittany Lions tacked on five runs in the eighth. Harry worked a walk to start the inning. Bramley followed with a single up the middle as Harry went first-to-third. Jake Cooper sent a hard ground ball through the left side to score Harry. A wild pitch moved Thomas Bramley to third and Cooper to second before Kailher hit a ground ball to the shortstop to drive in Bramley. Ty Torti was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and third. Tyson Cooper sent a hard ground ball through the middle to drive in his brother. Two batters later, Piacentino was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A pinch-hit infield single by C.J. Pittaro allowed Tyson Cooper and Torti to score. Penn State extended its lead to 15-2.
Penn State meets No. 14 North Carolina on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The Nittany Lions take on Brown in a four-game series, beginning on Friday, March 10, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary.
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.
Ben Kailher