UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team fell 5-3 against Lafayette on Wednesday evening at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions took the lead in the sixth, but the Leopards answered with three runs in the seventh to re-claim the advantage. Penn State is now 15-5 on the season.
Lafayette moved to 3-16 on the year.
Junior Skip Shenosky earned the start on the bump for the Nittany Lions, firing four innings. He allowed one run on two hits. The junior recorded two strikeouts and two walks. He worked a 1-2-3 inning in the third.
Matthew VanOstenbridge followed with two shutout innings. He gave up one hit and struck out two batters. Mason Butash threw one inning, giving up three runs (one earned) on one hit and one walk. Connor Throneberry went two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits and an unearned run. Ben DeMell worked 1.1 scoreless frames and struck out one.
Freshman Trey Zaffiro got the start for Lafayette, going six innings. He allowed two runs on four hits. He added four strikeouts and a walk. Kellen Moore threw a scoreless inning, allowing one hit. Mike Romano threw the final two innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out one.
Penn State scored three runs on seven hits. Joe Jaconski launched his fourth homer of the year and added a steal. Ryan Weingartner doubled and scored to go with a stolen base. Paxton Kling and Paxton Kling each had an RBI single.
Lafayette plated five runs on seven hits. Ryan Ulisse collected two hits, including a two-run double. Bode Grieve had two knocks and an RBI. Ethan Swindler recorded two hits and a run.
The Leopards got on the board in the top of the second. Michael Zarillo led off the frame with a single to right. A sac bunt moved Zarillo to second. With two outs, Grieve sent a single through the middle to bring in Zarillo. Penn State trailed 1-0.
Penn State tied the game in the fourth. With two outs, Jaconski lifted a fly ball over the wall in left. The 383-foot homer evened the game at 1-1.
The Nittany Lions took the lead in the sixth. With one out, Weingartner lined a double to the gap in right-center. Kling smacked a single into left-center to bring in Weingartner. PSU led 2-1.
Lafayette re-took the lead in the top of the seventh. Alex Barrist reached on an error to start the frame. A sac bunt moved Barrist to second before Grieve was hit by a pitch. Ulisse lined a double to left to bring in Barrist and Grieve. Ulisse moved up to third on a throw. A wild pitch allowed Ulisse to cross the plate. PSU trailed 4-2.
The Leopards added a run in the eighth. Swidler led off the inning with a double to left. Swidler moved up to third on a groundout. A pop up by Kaleb Willis was misplayed in the infield to allow Swidler to score and extend Lafayette’s lead to 5-2.
The Nittany Lions tried to rally in the ninth. With two outs, Jack Porter shot a grounder through the left side. He stole second before Wagner chopped a grounder into right to bring in Porter. However, a pop out ended the game.
Penn State hosts Michigan State in a Big Ten series on March 21-23. Friday’s game is set for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch on 800 Strong Night, encouraging other Penn State athletes to attend, and features a trucker hat giveaway for students. Saturday’s game starts at 2 p.m. with postgame autographs. Sunday’s game is a 1 p.m. start for Bark In The Park as fans are encouraged to bring their dogs.
All home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park are free admission for all ages.
The 2025 Penn State Baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.