CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO – The Penn State baseball team dropped an 8-4 decision against Stetson on Saturday in the PR Baseball Challenge at Estadio Yldefonso Solá Morales.
The Nittany Lions are 1-1 on opening weekend, while Stetson improved to 2-0.
Sophomore Matt Morash earned the start for the Nittany Lions. He went two innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits. Morash struck out two batters and walked one. Matt VanOstenbridge fired two innings. He allowed no runs or hits, while recording two strikeouts.
Mason Butash threw three innings, giving up three runs on four hits. He notched four strikeouts and a walk. Dimond Loosli went two innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out two.
Jonathan Gonzalez started on the mound for Stetson, going six innings. He allowed two runs on five hits. Gonzalez tallied five strikeouts and two walks. Turner Spoljaric threw two innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Ty Van Dyke pitched the ninth, allowing two walks and striking out one.
Penn State tallied four runs on eight hits. Jack Porter collected two hits, including a solo homer. Cole Wagner had a double and scored two runs, while Paxton Kling had an RBI single.
With an RBI single, Bryce Molinaro extended his hit streak to 20 games, dating back to last season, tying Princeton’s Jake Koonin for the second-longest active streak in the nation. Alabama’s Juan Cruz holds the nation’s longest hit streak at 24 games.
Moliinaro is the first Nittany Lion with a 20-game hit streak since Matt Wood in 2022.
The Hatters recorded eight runs on nine hits. Jordan Taylor led the way with three hits, including two homers, and five RBI. Lorenzo Meola added a solo homer among two hits. Salvador Alvarez scored twice.
Stetson got on the board in the top of the first, helped by an error. Isaiah Barkett lined a single to left before stealing second and moving to third on a groundout. Yohann Dessureault was hit by a pitch and stole second to put runners on second and third. A groundball to the left side was misplayed, allowing Barkett and Dessureault to score. Stetson led 2-0.
The Hatters added two runs in the second. After a walk drawn by Alvarez, a fly ball to left by Taylor carried over the fence. Stetson held a 4-0 lead.
Penn State plated a run in the fifth. Wagner sent the first pitch of the inning to the wall in center for a leadoff double. Porter dribbled a single past the pitcher and beat the throw to first to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch allowed Wagner to score and cut the PSU deficit to 4-1.
Stetson answered with two runs in the top of the sixth. Alvarez reached on a one-out single before Taylor smashed a line drive over the wall in left for a two-run homer. Stetson extended its lead to 6-1.
The Nittany Lions chipped away in the bottom half. After Ryan Weingartner reached on a fielder’s choice, Joe Jaconski lined to left. A sharp grounder by Molinaro bounced into the outfield to bring home Weingartner. A groundout by Wagner on the right side resulted in a run-down with Molinaro. Initially on run-down, it was ruled that Jaconski crossed the plate before Molinaro was tagged but after an umpire conference, the ruling was overturned and left the score at 6-2.
Penn State added a run in the seventh. Porter led off the inning by launching a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left. The 432-foot shot cut Stetson’s lead to 6-3.
Stetson answered with a run in the top of the eighth on an RBI single by Taylor to bring home Jayden Hylton. The Hatters added a run in the ninth on a solo homer by Meola. Stetson led 8-3.
The Nittany Lions conclude the PR Baseball Challenge on Sunday against UConn at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
The 2025 Penn State Baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.