OMAHA, Neb. – The Penn State baseball team dropped a 16-3 decision at Omaha on Wednesday night at Tal Anderson Field. The Mavericks took a 4-1 lead in the first inning and controlled the game from there. The Nittany Lions are now 24-19 overall, while Omaha improved to 19-22.
Daniel Ouderkirk made his 10th start of the season for the Nittany Lions. Ouderkirk did not record an out while giving up four runs on two hits and two walks. Connor Throneberry went two innings in relief. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out one. Ben DeMell gave up four runs on three hits in one-third of an inning.
Carson Kohls threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on one hit and three walks. Chad Rogers allowed one run on one hit and one walk in 1.2 innings of work. Jacob Coffin gave up four runs on one hit and three walks before Kellan Tulio took over on the mound, going 1.1 frames, allowing one run on one hit and walking one.
Alex Potter got the start for Omaha, going five innings and allowing one run on six hits. Potter walked two batters and struck out one. Joel Benes tossed the final two innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out four.
Penn State tallied nine hits. Thomas Bramley recoded two singles and a run. CJ Pittaro doubled and scored a run, while Derek Cease added an RBI double. Jake Cooper and Bobby Marsh both contributed RBI singles. Tyson Cooper had a double.
Omaha collected 11 hits. Haiden Hunt recorded two hits, including a homer, two runs and three RBI. Cam Frederick and Zach Lechnir each added a homer and three RBI as well as two runs. Eduardo Rosario drove in three runs and Devin Hurdle had a solo homer.
The Nittany Lions jumped out to an early lead. Bramley led off the game with a single to right. He moved up to second on a passed ball. With two outs, Marsh ripped a single to left to drive in Bramley. Penn State led 1-0.
Omaha responded with four runs in the bottom half. Hunt started the inning with a single through the middle. After Hunt stole second, Mike Boeve drew a walk. A double steal moved the runners to second and third before Hurdle was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brennen Bales shot a ground ball through the right side of the infield to bring home Hunt and Boeve. Eddie Satisky worked a walk to load the bases. A single by Drew Lechnir drove in Hurdle to put the Mavericks ahead, 4-1.
The Mavericks added a run in the second. With two outs, Hurdle lifted a fly ball over the wall in left for a solo homer. Omaha led 5-1.
Omaha plated four runs in the third. Drew Lechnir started the inning with a triple off the top of the wall in center. Frederick drew a walk. A double by Rosario plated Lechnir and moved Frederick to third. Zach Lechnir launched a fly ball over the wall in left for a three-run homer. Omaha held a 9-1 lead.
The Mavericks added a run in the fourth. Drew Lechnir worked a leadoff walk. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Frederick drew a walk to put runners on the corners. A fly ball to right by Rosario resulted in a sac fly as Lechnir crossed the plate. Omaha held a 10-1 advantage.
Omaha added six runs in the fifth. With two outs, Satisky hit a ground-rule double to center. Drew Lechnir worked a walk before a three-run homer to left by Frederick. The inning continued as Rosario and Zach Lechnir walked before Hunt lifted a fly ball over the wall in left. Omaha led 16-1.
Penn State scored two runs in the seventh. Pittaro doubled down the left field line to start the inning. Cease followed with a double to shallow center to bring home Pittaro. Jake Cooper added a single to center to plate Cease.
The Nittany Lions continue their road trip with a three-game series at Nebraska on May 12-14. Friday's contest is set for 7:05 p.m. on B1G+. Saturday's game is at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Sunday's series finale starts at noon on ESPN2.
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Single game tickets for the 2023 Penn State baseball season are available here.
The 2023 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.