It seemed like everything went wrong in Penn State’s 15-3 season opener loss to Air Force, but the Nittany Lions had another opportunity to win their first game of the season against Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon.
This game proved different as Penn State clicked on all cylinders behind two huge offensive innings and won 9-2 over Grand Canyon.
While the blue and white didn’t start hot at the MLB Desert Invitational, the Antelopes won their first game over Northeastern. Under sunny skies in Arizona, a pair of right-handers got the start on the mound, with sophomore Ben Hudson for the Nittany Lions and junior Nicholas Robb for Grand Canyon.
Penn State went down quietly for the first few outs in the first, but senior Michael Anderson recorded his first hit as a Nittany Lion through the left side. Though cleanup Bryce Molinaro lifted a ball deep into right center, center fielder Griffin Cameron tracked down the ball well for the third out.
While the blue and white left a couple of runners stranded in the top half of the second, the Antelopes broke open the scoring later in the inning. Cannon Peery smacked a leadoff single through the right side, and despite Hudson striking out the next two batters, Max Charles split the left-center gap.
The sophomore’s two-out RBI triple gave Grand Canyon the early 1-0 lead. However, Molinaro prevented Charles from scoring with a diving play at third, throwing out Camden Bates across the diamond.
Similar to the first two innings, the Nittany Lions threatened with base runners, but couldn’t drive them in. Redshirt junior Cohl Mercado drew a leadoff walk, and Molinaro dropped a two-out hit into right center, but Jack Porter flew out to center to end the threat.
After another quiet offensive start, the blue and white’s bats finally came through in the fourth. Junior Spencer Barnett reached base with a walk, and with not much offense happening, Barnett was aggressive and stole second. A few batters later, redshirt senior Justin Turcovski delivered with a one-out RBI single to center, tying the game at one.
Meanwhile, Hudson kept dominating on the bump and kept the score knotted. Through four innings, the Medford, New Jersey, native recorded five strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk.
For the first time this season, the Nittany Lions took the lead in the fifth. The Antelopes pulled Robb for senior Elijah Higginbottom at the start of the inning, and the blue and white pounced. Senior Jayden Davis started the momentum with a one-out single to right.
A few batters later, Molinaro recorded his second hit of the day off a two-out single up the middle, advancing Davis to third. Porter didn’t waste the prime scoring opportunity, lining a RBI single up the middle and giving Penn State the 2-1 lead.
The scoring didn’t stop there as Barnett powered a ball to the warning track and over the head of center fielder Cameron. The Pittsburgh native’s two RBI triple was the blue and white’s first extra-base hit of the campaign.
With the lead at 4-1, the Nittany Lions continued pouring on the runs. Following a walk by freshman Avery Smith, Turcovski carried the momentum and plated both runners off a triple to right field, ballooning the Penn State lead 6-1.
Following the explosive five-run inning, both offenses were kept quiet until the seventh. Redshirt senior Ben DeMell ran into a bases-loaded jam with no outs. Grand Canyon’s comeback push started with a routine fly ball error by first baseman Barnett, which allowed Bates to reach.
Troy Sanders batted a long single to center and moved Bates to third. Followed by a walk by Cameron, Bates scored off a sacrifice fly to center fielder Mercado. Coach Mike Gambino brought in sophomore left-hander Matthew VanOstenbridge to face the heart of Grand Canyon’s lineup.
The Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, native retired the next two batters and minimized the damage with Penn State’s lead still comfortable at 6-2. However, the Nittany Lions added more insurance in the next inning.
Penn State delivered a three-run eighth inning against senior right-hander Luke Moeller. Starting with a one-out single from Davis, Molinaro continued his monster offensive day with a two-out single to center. Porter then smacked a double into the gap in center and drove in both runners, pushing the Nittany Lions’ lead to 8-2.
After Porter advanced to third off a wild pitch, Kevin Karstetter took advantage of a rattled Moeller and sneaked an RBI single up the middle. He was stranded on second after a stolen base, but the blue and white took a large 9-2 lead late.
Grand Canyon wouldn’t score again as senior Dimond Loosli threw two shutout innings and secured the blowout victory for the Nittany Lions.
Up Next
Penn State wraps up its time at the MLB Desert Invitational against Kansas State at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
MORE BASEBALL COVERAGE
While Penn State fans sat in Happy Valley in freezing temperatures, the Nittany Lions travel…
If you’re interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.