UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team opened its 2024 home slate with a 3-2 win over UMass Lowell on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions played in front of a home-opener record crowd of 1,680. Penn State never trailed after taking the lead in the third and improved to 10-5 on the season.
After adjusting the weekend schedule, Penn State and UMass Lowell will now play on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. There will be no game on Sunday. Saturday features postgame autographs and a trading card set giveaway. All home games are free admission for all ages.
Travis Luensmann got the start for the Nittany Lions. He tossed six innings, allowing one run on two hits. He struck out five and walked three. He worked five scoreless frames before a solo homer in the sixth. He recorded two strikeouts in the second. Luensmann picked up his second win of the season.
Anthony Steele fired two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out three. David Lee closed out the game to earn the save, allowing one run in one inning of work.
Brendan Williams started for UMass Lowell. Williams went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Jacob Jette threw one inning, allowing a run. Miles Cota worked a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Zach Fortuna threw a scoreless eighth inning.
Penn State tallied three runs on eight hits. Billy Gerlott launched his first homer of the year. J.T. Marr collected three hits and scored a run. Matt Maloney drove in two runs with a double. Kyle Hannon singled and stole a base, his 44th career steal.
UMass Lowell recorded two runs on five hits. Alex Luccini hit two homers for the River Hawks.
Penn State got on the board in the third. With one out, Joe Jaconski worked a walk, holding off on a 3-2 pitch. Two batters later, Marr shot a ground ball through the left side for a single. A walk by Adam Cecere loaded the bases. Maloney lined a double down the line in left to drive in Jaconski and Marr. PSU led 2-0.
UMass Lowell cut its deficit in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Luccini lifted a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left for the solo homer. Penn State still led 2-1.
Penn State responded in the bottom half of the sixth. With two outs, Gerlott blasted the first pitch he saw over the left-center fence. The 423-foot homer put Penn State up, 3-1.
In the bottom of the ninth, Luccini led off the inning with a homer to right-center to cut the UML deficit to 3-2. Carlos Martinez followed with a walk. After a strikeout by Ryan Proto and a fly out by Conor Kelly, a single by Fritz Genther put runners on first and second. However, Lee forced a ground ball, which was scooped up by Hannon and fired to first for the final out.
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The 2024 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Billy Gerlott and Kyle Hannon celebrate Gerlott's home run