CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO – The Penn State baseball team finished off the PR Baseball Challenge with a 7-6 win over UConn on Sunday at Estadio Yldefonso Solá Morales. Joe Jaconski collected three hits, including a three-run homer, and drove in four runs. Ryan DeSanto fired four no-hit innings and did not allow an earned run.
Penn State closed out opening weekend with a 2-1 mark, while UConn, an NCAA Super Regional team in 2024, dropped to 0-3.
DeSanto made his PSU debut on the mound. He went four innings, giving up one run (unearned) and no hits. The junior posted six strikeouts and two walks. DeSanto retired the first nine batters of the game, including five strikeouts and striking out the side in the second inning.
Skip Shenosky fired two innings, allowing one run on three hits. The junior recorded four strikeouts and two walks. Anthony Steele tossed a scoreless inning and struck out one. Will Andrews went two-thirds of an innings, allowing a run, before Ben DeMell finished the eighth inning. He came back out for the ninth inning, giving up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.
Thomas Ellisen got the start for UConn, going two innings. He allowed five runs on three hits. He recorded two strikeouts and three walks. Cayden Suchy went four innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out four. Jude Abbadessa tossed a scoreless inning. Sean Finn and Evan Hamberger each faced one batter before Thomas Galusha walked both batters he faced. Sam Hutchinson recorded the final two outs of the eighth. Brady Afthim threw a scoreless ninth.
Penn State notched seven runs on eight hits. Jaconski collected three hits, including a double and a three-run homer, and four RBI. Ryan Weingartner launched a solo homer and scored two runs. Paxton Kling added two hits and a run, while Jack Porter had an RBI double
Despite reaching on two walks, Bryce Molinaro snapped a 20-game hit streak. It was tied for the second-longest streak in the nation with Princeton’s Jake Koonin.
UConn tallied six runs on 10 hits. Ryan Daniels secured three hits and drove in two runs. Grant MacArthur registered three hits, an RBI and two runs. Maddix Dalena had two hits, including an RBI double.
The Nittany Lions got on the board in the top of the first. Weingartner blasted a 1-2 pitch off the boards above the centerfield wall. The 403-foot homer gave PSU a 1-0 lead.
Penn State added four runs in the second inning. Matt Maloney lifted a fly ball to left, which was dropped to allow Maloney to go to second. Maloney moved to third on a sac bunt by Jesse Jaconski before scoring on a groundout by Cohl Mercado. A single by Kling and a walk by Weingartner put two runners on. Joe Jaconski followed with a fly ball over the wall in right. The three-run bomb put PSU ahead, 5-0.
UConn plated a run in the fourth. Sam Biller reached on a one-out walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. MacArthur drew a walk with Biller stealing third on the final pitch of the at-bat. MacArthur took off for second on a wild pitch with a play at second resulting in an error and allowing Biller to score. Penn State led 5-1.
Penn State responded with a run in the fifth. Joe Jaconski started the frame with a bloop single into right-center. He stole second before Porter ripped a double off the wall in left to bring home Jaconski. PSU pushed its lead to 6-1.
UConn added a run in the sixth. MacArthur reached on a one-out single before moving to second on a walk by Bryan Padilla. Ryan Daniels followed with a single to right to drive in MacArthur. The run trimmed Penn State’s lead to 6-2.
Penn State answered with a run in the eighth. Jesse Jaconski reached on an error. Pinch-runner Derek Cease moved up to second and third on wild pitches. After walks by Kling and Weingartner, a chopper up the middle by Joe Jaconski allowed Cease to score. PSU led 7-2.
UConn got a run across in the bottom of the eighth. MacArthur led off the inning with a single. He moved to second on a single by Dalena and to third on a doubleplay. A single by Daniels drove in MacArthur. Penn State’s lead was trimmed to 7-3.
In the bottom of the ninth, Rob Rispoli started the inning with a single. Caleb Shpur lined a double to left to put runners on second and third. A walk by Biller loaded the bases. MacArthur lifted a fly ball to the corner in right. Rispoli and Shpur scored on the play, but MacArthur was ruled running out of the baseline to second. Dalena doubled down the right field line to bring in Biller. Two batters later, Daniels sent a fly ball to right-center, but PSU’s Kling made a smooth sliding catch to end the game.
The Nittany Lions travel to Farmville, Va. for a four-game series against Longwood next weekend, Feb. 21-23. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The 2025 Penn State Baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.