Baseball Earns 9-3 Win Over Grand Canyon

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Penn State baseball team drove in five runs in the fifth on its way to a 9-3 win over Grand Canyon on Saturday at Salt River Fields. The Nittany Lions picked up their first win in the MLB Desert Invitational as Jack Porter and Justin Turcovski each drove in three runs and Ben Hudson allowed just one run over five innings.

 

Hudson made his Nittany Lion debut on the mound, firing five innings. He allowed just two hits and one walk, while striking out six. Hudson didn’t allow a run over his final 3.1 frames and had multiple strikeouts in the second inning. His six strikeouts set a career high.

 

Ben DeMell worked 1.1 frames, giving up one run (unearned) on two hits. He tallied one strikeout and one walk. Matthew VanOstenbridge retired both batters he faced in the seventh. Dimond Loosli threw two frames, allowing one run on one hit and striking out one.

 

Nicholas Robb got the start for Grand Canyon, tossing four innings. He allowed one run on four hits. He recorded five strikeouts and two walks. Elijah Higginbottom threw one inning, giving up five runs on five hits. Jacob Limas threw two scoreless innings. Luke Moeller allowed three runs in one inning of work. Brock Toney pitched a scoreless frame.

 

Penn State collected nine runs on 14 hits. Porter tallied three hits, including a double, and three RBI. Turcovski drove in three runs with a two-run triple and an RBI single. Spencer Barnett contributed a two-run triple and two runs. Bryce Molinaro added three hits and two runs. Jayden Davis recorded two hits and two runs.

 

Grand Canyon had three runs on five hits. Max Charles registered an RBI triple, while Tanner Johns had an RBI single.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Grand Canyon got on the board in the second. Cannon Peery led off the inning with a single through the right side. After a pair of strikeouts, Charles sent a line drive to the left-center gap and raced to third for a triple as Peery scored. GCU led 1-0.

 

The Nittany Lions tied the game in the fourth. Barnett held off on a 3-1 pitch to work a walk. He moved up to second on a steal. Turcovski ripped a single to center to bring in Barnett and even the game at 1-1.

 

Penn State exploded for five runs in the fifth. Davis reached on a one-out single to right. Two batters later, Molinaro sent a single through the middle to put runners on the corners. Porter followed with a single to drive in Davis. A fly ball off the warning track by Barnett resulted in a triple as Molinaro and Porter crossed the plate. Avery Smith drew a walk before Turcovski roped a triple into the corner in right to bring in Barnett and Smith. Penn State led 6-1.

 

GCU trimmed its deficit in the seventh. Camden Bates reached on an error to start the inning. A single by Troy Sanders and a walk by Griffin Cameron loaded the bases. Jaime Perez sent a fly ball to right-center for a sac fly to bring home Bates. PSU still led, 6-2.

 

The Nittany Lions answered in the eighth. With one out, Davis lined a single to right. Two batters later, Molinaro sent a line drive to center for a single. Porter blasted a ball to the wall in center for a double to bring in both runners. Kevin Karstetter followed with a single through the middle to plate Porter and extend PSU’s lead to 9-2.

 

The Lopes got a run in the ninth. After walks by Dominic Chacon and Vince Bianchina, a single by Johns brought in Chacon. A strikeout closed out the inning and the game.

 

UP NEXT

Penn State meets Kansas State on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at Sloan Park. The game will be streamed on MLB.com.

 

The 2026 Penn State Baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.