After starting 2026 in one of the worst ways possible, with a 1-2 record where Penn State was outscored 48-11, the Nittany Lions left their disaster in the desert with a chance to rebound against Richmond.
The blue and white cruised to a shutout Game 1 win on Friday, but with the chance to go above .500 and keep the streak of results coming, coach Mike Gambino’s squad ultimately fell to the Spiders, 3-0.
After he earned the first win on the mound for Penn State this season, with a five-inning outing with only two hits allowed, right-handed arm Ben Hudson got his second start of his Nittany Lions’ career against the Spiders.
Both the sophomore and Richmond starter Joey Giordano cruised to three-up, three-down first frame, and the second kept the two level. Despite allowing singles, they both got out of the inning unharmed, with a punchout.
Penn State shortstop Preston Yaucher reached third via a single and a throwing error, and as designated hitter Michael Anderson drew a walk, it looked as if Penn State had the first chance to score with runners on the corners and two outs. Ultimately, Giordano axed the jam and relied on his defense to end the top half of the third inning.
In the home half, things got sloppy for the Nittany Lions. Hudson walked two, and a Bryce Molinaro error at the corner scored one, with an eventual second scored via a sacrifice fly. Molinaro got a hit to start the top of the frame, but the offense was no dice and went down scoreless; however, the Spiders’ bats didn’t.
A pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch got Hudson in a jam, and a sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 3-0, yet the Medford, New Jersey, native recorded a punch out on a dropped third strike, the same way he got out the inning prior.
Luckily for Penn State, just like it’d given Richmond a chance, Giordano returned the favor with a pair of walks, except the Nittany Lions’ offense couldn’t cash in.
Gambino opted for a change with righty for righty, as Ben DeMell replaced Hudson, the same change made in the Nittany Lions’ strong pitching win over Grand Canyon.
The redshirt senior turned things over quickly to the Spiders’ pitching again, as they made their own change with lefty Giordano replaced on the mound with right-handed arm Bijan Anvar, who silenced the blue and white bats in consecutive fashion with defensive outs.
DeMell took things over with a punch-out, and despite allowing a single, he navigated out of the inning. Left fielder Jesse Jaconski started off the seventh frame with a single, but when Avery Smith struck out, and the senior got caught on the steal, it killed all chance of scoring with one swoop.
Yaucher then struck out for the second time on the day, and the inning flipped over. DeMell kept in a groove with a one-two-three inning started by a whiffing strikeout. Richmond made a few adjustments in the infield and also replaced Anvar with 6-foot-7 righty Justin Gay.
The Nittany Lions reached base only via a hit-by-pitch, as the offense again went quiet. Even as the offense couldn’t buy him any slack, DeMell kept up the fire on the mound. The Concord, Ohio, native recorded his third strikeout of the game and got out of a light scare courtesy of a Richmond double.
With the blue and white bats’ last chance to make a crack, up stepped right fielder Jack Porter, yet he promptly went right back to the pine after a four-pitch foul flyout. First baseman Spencer Barnett followed with an even briefer at-bat, flying out to center on two pitches.
Jaconski walked into the box with Penn State’s last chance, and while he extended the at-bat and saw five pitches, the last one he looked a little too long at, didn’t swing, taking a strike three.
Penn State finished with four hits, which only trailed Richmond by one. With a more efficient strike rate that resulted in one more strikeout than the Spiders, the Nittany Lions’ performance is nothing to scoff at — costly errors, small ball and strong Richmond defense defeated them in the margins.
No blue and white batter recorded a multi-hit day. Both Hudson and DeMell split eight innings of work, with only one earned run and three total walks.
Up Next
Penn State closes out its Richmond series following the cancellation of its Sunday clash, with Game 2 of a doubleheader later Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:25 p.m.
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