PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Penn State baseball team fell 8-2 against Rutgers on Sunday at Bainton Field. The Scarlet Knights struck for five runs in the first. Penn State left 12 on base while trying to climb back into the game. Penn State is now 24-18 overall, while Rutgers moved to 30-18.
In Big Ten play, Penn State is now 6-11 and Rutgers is 11-7.
The bottom of the first ended with a triple play. A bunt by Trevor Cohen was snagged by a sliding Travis Luensmann in front of the mound. Luensmann fired to Josh Spiegel at first and after stepping on first, Spiegel fired to Grant Norris to tag out Hugh Pinkney attempting to advance to third.
Anthony Steele made his first start of the season for the Nittany Lions. Steele did not record an out, while allowing five runs (four earned) on two hits and two walks. Luensmann finished the first and fired seven innings. Luensmann allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out five batters and walked two. Ryan Partridge tossed a scoreless inning and struck out one.
Luensmann's seven innings are his longest outing as a Nittany Lion.
Jake Marshall got the start for Rutgers, going 1.1 frames. He allowed a run on a hit and two walks, while striking out three. Garrett French went 1.2 innings in relief, allowing one run on four hits. Sam Portnoy threw two scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Ben Gorski threw four shutout frames to close it out, allowing three hits.
Penn State tallied 10 hits. Thomas Bramley collected three hits. Kyle Hannon added two hits, including a double and an RBI single. Johnny Piacentino registered two hits and a run. CJ Pittaro contributed an RBI single.
With a walk in the eighth, Thomas Bramley drew his 39th of the season. He's now tied with Landon Nakata (39; 2008) and Shawn Fagan (39; 2000) for third in a season at Penn State.
Rutgers notched nine hits. Ryan Lasko had two hits, including an RBI double. Chris Brito homered and scored two runs. Cameron Love drove in two runs.
The Scarlet Knights struck first with five runs in the first. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer started the inning with a single and stole second. Lasko recorded a hustle-double through the right side to bring home Kuroda-Grauer. After Lasko stole third, Brito walked and Evan Sleight was hit by a pitch. Jordan Sweeney held off on a 3-1 pitch for a walk as Lasko scored. A passed ball allowed Brito to score. Hugh Pinkney drew a walk to re-load the bases. Love singled to center to bring home two more runs as Sleight and Sweeney scored. Rutgers led 5-0.
Penn State got a run in the second. Hannon drew a walk to start the inning. Spiegel was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Two batters later, Pittaro shot a grounder through the left side as Hannon hustled home. The inning continued as a grounder by Bramley moved the runners to second and third. However, a fly out ended the inning. Penn State trailed 5-1.
The Nittany Lions added a run in the third. Piacentino started the inning with a single to left. Bobby Marsh grounded a single through the right side to put runners on first and second. Two batters later, Hannon shot a grounder to right to plate Piacentino. Penn State cut its deficit to 5-2.
Rutgers added a run in the third. Sleight led off the inning with a single to right. Two batters later, Pinkney grounded a single through the left side. Sleight went first to third before Pinkney got caught in a run-down between first and second. As Pinkney was tagged, Sleight raced home and beat the throw. Rutgers led 6-2.
Rutgers extended its lead in the fifth on a solo homer by Brito. The Scarlet Knights led 7-2.
The Scarlet Knights added a run in the sixth. With one out, Love worked a walk. He moved up to second on a ground out. Andy Axelson bounced a single to left to bring home Love. Rutgers pushed its lead to 8-2.
Penn State travels to Omaha for a midweek contest on Wednesday, May 10. First pitch is set for 8 p.m.
The Nittany Lions continue on the road in the Big Ten with a three-game series at Nebraska on May 12-14. Friday's contest is set for 7:05 p.m. on B1G+. Saturday's game is at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Sunday's series finale starts at noon on ESPN2.
For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please check @pennstatebase on Twitter and Instagram.
Season and single game tickets for the 2023 Penn State baseball season are available here.
The 2023 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
CJ Pittaro