Penn State baseball sweeps N.Y.I.T.
The fog-covered Mount Nittany provided a picturesque backdrop for Wednesday’s Penn State baseball game against N.Y.I.T.
After the game was moved ahead by one hour due to weather concerns, the Nittany Lions (7-12) exploded for eight runs off of three different pitchers, leading to their 8-0 victory. The win led to a clean two-game sweep of the Bears.
Nick Hedge got the start and the win for the Lions, tossing three scoreless innings, giving up three hits and fanning one. Dakota Forsyth, Tim Dunn, Ryan Harper and Tom Mullin finished out the shutout for Penn State, the Lions first of the season.
Things got mildly interesting in the top of the ninth inning, when a string of hits made it men on second and third for the Bears, but Mullin punched out Jack Smith swinging, and sent N.Y.I.T. back to Broadway still yearning for a win.
“The pitchers came out with a purpose and really attacked the zone,” said head coach Rob Cooper.
On the other side, N.Y.I.T. committed four errors, leading to two Penn State runs.
Starting pitcher J.P. Lipovac threw six innings, giving up two earned runs and seven hits, but his team’s errors put them out of the game, despite a solid performance on the mound.
Penn State was up four runs by the time Forsyth came in to pitch, and one of those runs was scored on a double steal with men on first and third, with the runner at second drawing a throw allowing Zach Ell to score.
One of the highlights of the game was senior Sam August coming off the bench and delivering an RBI single in his first at-bat of the season.
“We can trust guys coming off the bench,” explained Cooper. August is a senior and works very hard, and its good to see guys like that do well.”
Designated hitter Colin Keefe went 2 for 4, with two RBIs and a run scored on the afternoon, despite not knowing whether or not he would even see the field.
“Coming to the field today, I had no idea I was going to start, coach came in early and told me,” said Keefe. “When you’re not playing everyday, to come out and get two hits really boosts your confidence.”
Steve Snyder also threw in two hits and two stolen bases, and was the only other player besides Keefe to have a multi-hit contest. The Lions stole a total of eight bases on the afternoon.
The Blue and White now looks forward to their rivalry doubleheader against Bucknell at Medlar Field on Saturday, and two more games in Lewisburg on Sunday.
Following the showdown with the Bison, Penn State will dive into its Big Ten schedule, starting off with a three game home series against Northwestern.
Mike Gilbert is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email myg5257@psu.edu.
