Defensive Mistakes, Lack Of Offense Dooms Penn State Baseball In Loss To Purdue
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After an offensive explosion in game one against Purdue, the Penn State offense struggled to bunch hits together in game two Friday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
A strong outing from Purdue’s Jackson Smeltz helped the Boilermakers take control of the game, as they bounced back in an 11-5 victory in Happy Valley.
Purdue wasted no time in this contest, as they utilized a five-run first inning following a pair of errors from second baseman Derek Cease, giving Smeltz a comfortable lead before he even took the mound.
The blue and white would answer with runs of their own in the bottom of the first after Matt Wood crushed a two-run home run to dead center, cutting into the deficit and putting the game within three.
Head coach Rob Cooper was ejected for arguing in the third inning after a soft ground ball was hit to first baseman Cole Bartels. Bartels went to tag the runner, who slipped out of his way to reach first base safely.
A productive third inning would ensue for the Boilermakers as Curtis Washington walked with the bases loaded, forcing in a run. Paul Toetz then singled home another run extending Purdue’s lead to 7-2.
Kellan Tulio would be pulled in the third inning after giving up seven runs, with only two of them being earned.
Once Tulio left the game, the Boilermakers continued to chip away at Penn State’s pitching, as it would receive one in the fourth from a wild pitch and one in the fifth after Matt Wood was unable to maintain control of the ball when attempting to tag out Mike Bolton Jr. at home plate.
Sophomore right-fielder Billy Gerlott had a big day at the plate for the Nittany Lions, tallying three hits in four at-bats, all while collecting three RBIs.
After not being in the lineup in game one, Gerlott had a lot of positives at the plate, especially in the seventh inning when he sent a ball over the center field fence for his first home run of the year.
“My last two weeks have been absolutely pathetic,” Gerlott said. “I needed today really badly, I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t really really happy.”
Gerlott also spoke about his mindset when facing Smeltz, who entered this game with a 5-0 record and is arguably the best pitcher in the Big Ten.
“I was watching a lot of my at-bats prior to this two week struggle that I’ve been in, and I noticed I was losing my barrel, I was losing my posture,” Gerlott said. “One of my biggest things was keeping my posture, but also thinking down through the ball generating backspin so I don’t lose my barrel.”
Penn State got two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut into the Purdue lead, after a sac-fly from Matt Wood and a passed ball which allowed Bartels to score.
Mason Mellott pitched two and a third in relief of Tulio, who was then relieved by Carson Kohls.
Both relief pitches surrendered two earned runs apiece. Ryan Partridge entered the game in the top of the eighth, where he forced in a run with a walk and hit a batter, putting Purdue ahead by six.
Cooper spoke about the struggles his team had after the game, including the four errors and seven walks the blue and white allowed.
“We spotted them five runs in the first, and then you’re playing catch-up the rest of the game,” Cooper said. “We made it interesting late, but did not play good enough baseball with four errors, seven walks… .not very clean.”
Penn State hopes to win the series as they are back in action on Saturday, April 16 for game three against Purdue. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Connor Fenix is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.
