Penn State baseball (15-11, 1-5 Big Ten) defeated Delaware State (6-21, 2-10 MEAC) 7-2 on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions as they kicked off their series on a high note against the Hornets. Second baseman Kyle Hannon led the way with two hits and two runs scored for Rob Cooper’s bunch.

How It Happened

Penn State’s defense struggled early. Jaden Henline gave up an immediate hit to Myles Eaddy, which happened to be the first batter he faced. Eaddy proceeded to steal second base and then reached home on an error from Grant Norris. A couple of batters later, Evan Bouldin doubled the score at a 2-0 clip before Penn State ended the inning.

Neither team produced much offense for the next few innings. In the fourth inning, Penn State eventually got things rolling, as Jay Harry knocked a strike down the right side for a single. A hit from Josh Spiegel and a wild pitch put Harry and Spiegel in scoring position, while another wild pitch sent Harry home for the Nittany Lions’ only run of the inning, bringing the deficit to a one-run margin.

Harry tied the game for Penn State two innings later, as Norris knocked a sacrifice groundout to third base to send Harry home. The Nittany Lions had a chance to take the lead with the bases loaded and two outs on the board, but a strikeout from Tayven Kelley ended those hopes.

The Nittany Lions had a similar chance to take the lead in the seventh inning as in the sixth as they loaded the bases, though this time with no outs. A sacrifice groundout from Harry sent Tyson Cooper home, while a second sacrifice from Spiegel scored Kyle Hannon.

The scoring run kept up, as a deep shot to center field sent Norris to third base and Thomas Bramley to home plate. Norris reached home just soon after from a single by Bobby Marsh. Norris was the last to score in the four-run inning, as Penn State took a 6-2 lead going into the eighth inning.

Penn State picked up one last run during the eighth inning, as a single from Bramley sent Hannon to score.

Penn State’s defense closed out the easy triumph in the final two innings, as reliever Steven Miller finished off the Hornets, en route to the Nittany Lions taking home a 7-2 win.

Takeaways:

• For a team that has struggled defensively in recent games, Penn State looked solid in that regard on Thursday. The Nittany Lions gave up a combined 39 runs in their last two games but held Delaware State to just two on Thursday.
• What a night for Harry, folks. The junior continues to excite for Penn State, this time with two hits, two runs, and an RBI to propel the Nittany Lions to a win. He also had a solid night at shortstop, highlighted by putting together several acrobatic stops.
• Penn State rolled when Hannon was hot. After the third baseman started the night with a crucial error and no hits from three at-bats, he finished the night strong, going 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs.

What’s Next?

Penn State will square off with Delaware State twice more in the series, with the next game at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 7, at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.