Penn
State used a five-run second inning to take control early and then broke the
game open with a seven-run sixth inning en route to defeating the Canisius
College baseball team 15-5 at Medlar Field on Friday night. The Golden Griffins
fall to 17-15 with the loss.
The
Nittany Lions (11-18) used a two-out, two-RBI double from Elliot Searer to get
on the board in the bottom of the second. Sean Deegan followed with a three-run
homer to right, giving Penn State a 5-0 lead with all five runs being unearned.
The
Griffs got on the board in the fifth inning, starting with a leadoff single
from sophomore Ronnie Bernick. After
freshman Mike Krische was hit by a
pitch, sophomore Jesse Kelso walked
to load the bases. Sophomore Shane
Zimmer followed with an RBI single to get Canisius on the board. Senior Drew Pettit reached on a fielder's
choice that forced Zimmer at second but allowed two runs to score on the play
to make it 5-3.
Penn
State then scored seven runs in the sixth, chasing Canisius starter Garrett Cortright from the game. A hit
by pitch with the bases loaded forced home the first run of the inning. Steve
Snyder then had a two-RBI single to make it 8-3 and end Cortright start. Joey
DeBernardis had an RBI single and Jordan Steranka had a three-run homer off
senior Ryan Fennell to make it 12-3.
The
Griffs got two more runs in the seventh on an RBI single from Pettit and when
Zimmer scored on a passed ball.
Cortright
took the loss, allowing 10 runs, five earned, in his 5.1 innings of work.
Fennell and redshirt senior Tim Seil
(one scoreless inning) threw 2.2 innings of relief.
Canisius
and Penn State continue the series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 2:05
p.m.
Notes:
Canisius and Penn State met for the second time, with the other meeting coming
in the 2008 season, a win for the Golden Griffins... Zimmer extended his
consecutive games streak of reaching base to 39 games... Junior Chris Gruarin now has a hit in six of
the last seven games... ... Pettit now nine hits in the last five games and eight
RBI in the last four games... Cortright did not pitch six innings for the first
time since March 2, against Long Island... Freshman Connor Panas had his fourth multi-hit game of the season... Sophomore
Jose Torralba extended his hitting
streak to six games (10-for-25).
