The Nittany Lions took to the Bahamas for the first-ever NCAA series on the island, facing Indiana State.
Ultimately, Indiana State defeated Penn State 8-5 in the historic matchup.
Indiana State came up to the plate first. Facing Penn State Pitcher Colin Fitzgerald. Outfielder Andrew Ortiz hit a single to center field to begin the hot start for the Sycamores.
Pitcher and Outfielder Emil Estrella drove another single near the right infield. Infielder Nick Sutherlin causes a sacrifice fly over center field, leading to an Ortiz score to put Indiana State up 1-0.
Starting the hitting for the Nittany Lions was Outfielder Cohl Mercado, who grounded out to second. Then, infielder Michael Anderson was hit by Indiana State pitcher Grant Parson.
Infielder Bryce Molinaro bounced a double, leading to an Anderson score.
Infielder Jayden Davis continued the early hits for the Nittany Lions, doubling to second and causing a Molinaro run. Davis continued to help when he scored on a wild pitch. The score was 3-1, Penn State heading into the second inning.
The Sycamores struggled during their second chance at the plate. Catcher and First Baseman Caden Miller grounded one out to short, followed by a strikeout for Fitzgerald. Catcher Jeremy Martinez grounded a ball to third, which led to a double play for the Nittany Lions.
Beginning the hitting in the second inning for Penn State was Catcher Joey DeMucci, who struck out swinging. Next came Outfielder Justin Turcovski, who was walked by Parson and proceeded to steal second base. Mercado, up for his second at-bat, was hit by a pitch.
Anderson was also hit by a pitch during his second attempt at hitting, back-to-back with Parson, who was substituted for Jack Armstrong. The new Sycamore pitcher struck out Molinaro, and Davis grounded out to third. No scoring changes going into the third inning, with Penn State having three players left on base.
Fitzgerald continued his good throwing for Penn State, striking out infielders Caleb Niehaus and Sebastian Torres to start the third inning. Ortiz was thrown out after a ground ball to second, a quick defensive inning for the Nittany Lions.
Third inning batting for Penn State started with Jack Porter, who hit a fly ball out to left center for the first out. Infielder Spencer Barnett stepped up next, and he was walked on a 3-2 count. Infielder Kevin Karstetter struck out swinging, but Barnett stole second base in the process. DeMucci struck out to end the inning, Penn State still led 3-1 heading into the top of the 4th.
Fitzgerald continued a nice start, striking out Estrella, but threw four balls to get Outfielder Carter Back to first. Sutherlin then moved in line with a right side single. Miller singled, which led to a scored run from Carter, tightening the score to 3-2. Martinez hit a double, which led to two scores from Sycamores Sutherlin and Miller. Fitzgerald’s sixth strikeout brought us to the bottom of the 4th, Penn State trailed 4-3.
All three at-bats from Turcovski, Mercado, and Anderson got to a 3-2 count. All three also led to outs, a quick inning of batting for the Nittany Lions.
Fitzgerald bounced back with a quick three-pitch out to start the 5th. Followed by another nice strikeout. A swift ending for the Sycamore hitters with Estrella flying out.
Penn State continued their streak of 3-2 counts leading to outs in the 5th, with Molinaro grounding out for the 1st out. Armstrong continued his successful pitching, striking out Davis and forcing a flyout from Porter. The score stayed at 4-3 for Indiana State.
Beck flies one to right field for the first out of the 6th. Sutherlin bounced one off the wall for a double, continuing to be a thorn in Penn State’s side. Fitzgerald continued his back-and-forth play with his ninth and tenth strikeouts, which got the Lions back on offense.
Barnett starts off the inning walking to first after a 3-1 count. Armstrong continued his impressive pitching, striking out Karstetter. DeMucci also struck out, but Barnett stole his second base of the night to get to second. Penn State’s offensive hopes came to a close with a groundout by Turcovski.
A pitching change starts the 7th for the Nittany Lions. Right-handed pitcher Kyle Emmons stepped up to the mound in relief. Martinez flied out, followed by a double play. A swift defensive inning for Penn State, who still trailed 4-3.
Armstrong started his second straight inning with a walk for Mercado, then the Sycamores brought in right-handed pitcher Ryan Karst, their third of the night. Karst threw a wild pitch to get Mercado to second, followed by hitting Anderson with a ball.
Karst calmed down after a mound visit; Molinaro and Davis both flew out. Estrella made a run to the wall for the Nittany Lions’ third out.
Emmons started his second inning of pitching with a long count strikeout. Porter makes a play with his back to the wall for the second out of the inning. Beck grounded out to get the Nittany Lions back on the offensive.
Karst continued his better throwing, and Barnett lined out. Followed by a strikeout of Karstetter. The inning ended quickly after a Jaconski groundout. Penn State trailed 4-3.
Penn State made another pitcher change. Right-handed pitcher Dimond Loosli came in for the last inning. Sutherlin continued his great performance with a single to start the 9th. Miller hit another base hit, which caused Penn State Coach Mike Gambino to come up for a mound visit.
Fulk grounded out but got Sutherlin and Miller in scoring position. Martinez was intentionally walked which led to a strikeout for Loosli. A wide right throw to first led to two runs for the Sycamores. Ortiz hit a two run single which grew the Indiana State lead to 8-3. Estrella ended his team’s batting for the day with a groundout.
Turcovski flew out on his second pitch. Mercado got on base for the third time of the night with a single. Anderson nukes one left field for a two-run homerun. Penn State now trailed 8-5 in the bottom of the 9th.
The Sycamores changed pitchers again after the home run. Right-handed pitcher Hunter Small took to the mound in the last inning. Molinaro flew out to center field, and Davis kept the game alive with a single and a stolen base. Porter flew out to center field to end the game.
Up next
The Nittany Lions continue their three-game Bahamas series against Indiana State Saturday at 3 p.m. EST.
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