The Nittany Lions were back home in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the first Dollar Dog night of the 2026 season, where they took on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.
Penn State brought home the win 8-6 in the top of the ninth, with strong performances across the board.
Starting pitcher Frankie Sanchez set Penn State up well in the first inning with zero runs on the board for the Bonnies, while Jack Porter scored Penn State’s first run off Bryce Molinaro’s powerful single into right field.
St. Bonaventure couldn’t get the momentum going into the second inning. Nittany Lion Jayden Davis launched a ball into left center field, getting him to second base before running home on Preston Yaucher’s single to right field.
While Penn State didn’t score any runs in the third, they kept their dominance over St. Bonaventure with a strong pitching performance by Sanchez, striking out Joey Calabretti and Gavin Constantine, leaving Alex Hebenstreit stranded on first base before getting out on a run to second.
The Bonnies came in hot during the fourth inning, taking the lead 5-2 over the blue and white off a homerun by Antonio Cordeiro, letting in himself and Anthony Fernandez. Penn State’s Mason Horwat came in to relieve Sanchez, but the Bonnies remained strong, hitting in three more runs.
Avery Smith brought it back in the bottom of the fourth for Penn State, hammering the ball into left field for a home run double RBI, putting the score at 5-4.
The fifth remained quiet for both teams, as the Nittany Lions got a chance to take the lead to close out the sixth with the bases loaded. They fell just short as Saint Bonaventure’s shortstop Constantine threw a double out, leaving the blue and white just one run behind the Bonnies.
Second baseman Chris Hoalcraft had a solid seventh inning for St. Bonaventure, stealing second base and running home off of Fernandez’s hit into right field, leading the Nittany Lions to switch up their pitchers and throw the final out for the Bonnies this inning.
Determined to make a comeback, Penn State came in hot, taking the lead 7-6 in the seventh after Cole Mercado singled to second base off a throwing error, before running home off a power hit by Michael Anderson into center field. Molinaro closed it out, scoring the blue and white’s second home run of the game with a double RBI.
Penn State’s Maddox McDonald had a strong performance in the bottom of the eighth, stealing second base before scoring off Mercado’s fast hit into right field.
The Nittany Lions finished on top in their back-and-forth game with St. Bonaventure, with fourteen hits and two home runs, improving their record to 6-16.
Up Next
Penn State faces Bucknell at home tomorrow in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at 5:30 p.m.
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