UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team dropped a close game to the Bucknell Bison, 8-7, on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions had the tying run on third and the winning run on first in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't bring them around.
The Nittany Lions fell to 17-21, while the Bison improved to 18-21.
Kyle Hannon picked up two hits in his first start in over a month. The third baseman swiped a bag and scored a run in the contest. Cole Bartels recorded two knocks of his own as well. Matt Wood walked three times and extended his hitting streak to 20 games on the season with an RBI single. Josh Spiegel picked up two hits and two RBIs and his ninth-inning triple brought in a run in to put the Nittany Lions on the doorstep. Tayven Kelley added a two-run triple.
Wood's hitting streak is now tied for the third-longest at Penn State with Michael Campo (1997). He trails only Campo's 41-game streak in 2000 and Mike DeRenzo's 23-game streak in 2002.
Chris Cannizzaro and Jacob Corson fueled the Bison offensive attack with three hits apiece. Cannizzaro scored two runs and drove in one, while Corson had two RBI and two runs.
Tommy Molsky started the game for the Nittany Lions and ended up going 4.2 innings while giving up six earned runs. Ryan Partridge, Chase Renner, and Jordan Morales combined to finish the rest of the game with Renner shouldering the loss after allowing two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work.
Brady Swenson took the ball for the Bison and delivered four innings of three-run ball. Aside from the one batter faced by Connor Vucovich, the trio of Renn Lints, Graeme Carroll, and Andrew Funovits tossed the final five innings in relief, with Carroll picking up the win.
Bucknell jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first. With one out and runners on first and second, Corson lined a double to center to score Cannizzaro and Grant Voytovich. Tyler Dunn followed with his own double, this time to the corner in right, to plate Corson.
The Nittany Lions answered back in the home half of the inning. Bartels singled and Wood was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Spiegel then singled to left to drive in Bartels. Penn State trailed 3-1 after the first.
Penn State added two runs in the second. Hannon began the inning with a sharp single to right and then stole second. Derek Cease flared a single to left-center as Hannon scored from second. Bartels then reached on an infield single, which hit Cease in the base path. An error on a pickoff attempt allowed Bartels to move up to third. Wood landed a single in left-center to plate Bartels and tie the game at 3-3.
Bucknell quickly responded with three runs in the third. With two outs, a triple to right-center by Kendall Pierson scored Corson and Brendan Lowery. Logan Kellerman followed with an infield single, which plated Pierson. Bucknell led 6-3 after three innings.
Penn State chipped away with a run in the fifth. Wood and Spiegel drew walks to begin the inning. Two batters later, Billy Gerlott lifted a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly to drive home Wood. Penn State trailed 6-4 through five.
The Nittany Lions tied the game in the seventh. After reaching on a fielder's choice, Ben Kailher stole second and reached third on a throwing error on the play. Gerlott then drew a walk and moved up with a steal. Kelley then sent a line drive to center that skipped past a diving center fielder and rolled to the wall. Kailher and Gerlott scored before Kelley rounded third and was thrown out on a very close play at the plate. Still, Penn State tied the game at 6-6.
However, Bucknell answered with two runs in the eighth. Kyle Lyons singled on a ground ball to center. He moved up to third after a wild pitch and a passed ball. After a walk by Anthony Sherwin, Cannizzaro doubled to the corner in left. Lyons scored, but Sherwin was thrown out at the plate on a relay by Bartels to Jay Harry to Tyson Cooper. Two batters later, Corson singled through the left side to score Cannizaro. Bucknell led 8-6 after eight.
In the bottom of the ninth, Wood reached on a one-out walk. Spiegel, after a fly ball just pushed left of the foul pole, lined a triple to the gap in left-center to score Wood. With the tying run on third, a strikeout and a fly ball ended the game.
The Nittany Lions travel to Morgantown for a matchup with West Virginia on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Monongalia County Ballpark with a broadcast on ESPN+.
Penn State then hosts Omaha for a three-game series, beginning on Friday, April 29.
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Kyle Hannon