MORGANTOWN, W. VA. – The Penn State baseball team dropped an 18-7 decision at West Virginia on Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions scored seven in the top of the third to cut into the deficit, but the Mountaineers answered with three runs in the bottom half to re-gain momentum. Penn State is now 21-21, while West Virginia moved to 29-18.
Mason Butash got the start for the Nittany Lions, going one-third of an inning and allowing seven runs on four hits and three walks. Ben DeMell worked one inning, giving up five runs on six hits and striking out one. Will Perkowski threw 1.1 frames, giving up one run and striking out one.
David Lee tossed one inning, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out one. Matt Morash threw 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and recording two strikeouts. James Lordi tossed a scoreless inning.
Chase Meyer started on the mound for West Virginia, throwing 2.2 innings. He allowed five runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out five. Bryce Amos pitched to three batters, allowing two to score. Maxx Yehl went 1.1 scoreless innings. Tommy Beam threw two scoreless frames. Aidan Smith pitched a scoreless ninth.
Penn State tallied seven runs on nine hits. Joe Jaconski doubled and drove in two runs, while Tayven Kelley added a two-run single. Bryce Molinaro and Grant Norris each recorded two hits and a run. J.T. Marr and Bobby Marsh each had an RBI single. Kevin Michaels drew four walks and scored a run.
WVU notched 18 runs on 18 hits. Brodie Kresser had four hits, including a grand slam, five RBI and four runs. J.J. Wetherholt contributed three hits, including a double and a solo homer, and two runs. Sam White had two hits, including a homer, three RBI and two runs. Reed Chumley homered and scored three times.
The Mountaineers got on the board in the first. Logan Sauve led off with a fly ball over the wall in center. Wetherholt followed with a single to right before Kyle West and Chumley worked walks to load the bases. White lined a single to left to drive in Wetherholt and West. After White stole second, Grant Hussey walked to re-load the bases. Kresser sent a fly ball over the wall in left-center for a grand slam. Two batters later, Skylar King lifted a fly ball over the wall in right. WVU led 8-0.
West Virginia added four runs in the second. Chumley hit a fly ball over the left-center fence and White followed with a homer to right. After a single by Kresser and a double by Ben Lumsden, a sac fly by King scored Kresser and a single by Sauve brought in Lumsden. The Mountaineers held a 12-0 lead.
Penn State chipped away with seven runs in the top of the third. Marr led off the inning with a walk. After a single by Norris, Marsh chopped a single through the middle to bring in Marr. A walk by Molinaro loaded the bases. Kelley followed with a single to center to bring in Marr and Norris. A wild pitch allowed Molinaro to score before Michaels drew a walk. Jaconski lined a double to the right-center to drive in Kelley and Michaels before Marr sent a single to left-center to bring in Jaconski. PSU trailed 12-7.
WVU responded with three runs in the bottom half. After Chumley was hit by a pitch, Hussey sent a double to center to drive in Chumley. Kresser singled to left to bring home Hussey. After Kresser stole second, he scored on a single by Lumsden. WVU led 15-7.
West Virginia added one run in the fourth and two in the fifth. With one out in the fourth, Wetherholt lifted a fly ball over the wall in right. In the fifth, a double by pinch-hitter Ellis Garcia drove in Hussey and Kresser. The Mountaineers held an 18-7 lead.
The Nittany Lions return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park this weekend for a three-game series against Rutgers. Friday's game is set for a 5:30 p.m. start on Alumni Day. Saturday's contest is a 2 p.m. first pitch on Little League Day and ALS Awareness Day and includes postgame autographs. Sunday's Senior Day game is set for 1 p.m. All games will be broadcast on B1G+.
All home games are free admission for all ages.
For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please follow @pennstatebase on X and Instagram.
The 2024 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Joe Jaconski