Game Grades: Penn State Baseball vs. West Virginia
Penn State baseball found itself in a five-run deficit twice against West Virginia Tuesday night. However, the Nittany Lions scored the game’s final 10 runs, overpowering the visiting Mountaineers, 11-6. The blue and white improved to 18-11 with the win.
Hitting: A-
After recording one hit against West Virginia’s starting pitcher Grant Siegel, the Nittany Lions’ bats came alive once the starter was pulled.
Catcher Thomas Bramley was a major contributor in the win, going 3-for-5 while scoring the first two runs for Penn State.
The team also got production from the fourth through seventh hitters. Josh Spiegel, Grant Norris, Bobby Marsh and Billy Gerlott went a combined 4-for-14 with three RBIs and all contributed in the blue and white’s monster sixth inning.
Kyle Hannon’s little league grand slam (which gave Penn State the lead), Jay Harry’s solo home run and Tyson Cooper’s two-run single ensured a variety of Nittany Lions contributed to the comeback.
Pitching: C+
Much like the hitting, Penn State’s pitching improved as the game went on. Starter Ben DeMell had a short night, giving up four runs in 2.2 innings pitched. However, the staff stepped up when the blue and white took the lead.
Both Anthony Steele and Connor Throneberry escaped jams in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, ensuring the Nittany Lions retained their lead.
Stephen Miller had the cleanest inning of all the Penn State pitchers, striking out the side in the ninth, including two batters looking. The bullpen’s performance down the stretch ensured the team’s winning streak reached four games.
Fielding: C
In a sloppy game on both sides (each team had multiple errors), several fielding miscues by Penn State contributed to the early deficits. A wild pitch by DeMell gave West Virginia a 3-0 lead in the second inning.
Relief pitcher Ryan Partridge not fielding a bunt attempt cleanly resulted in an error in the fourth. An errant throw by Bramley that same inning could have been worse if not for Harry holding down his glove, keeping the runner at second.
On the positive side, outfielder Tayven Kelley made multiple diving catches in the game, keeping the Mountaineers from further damage at the plate.
Crowd / Fans: A
Once again, the Nittany Lion faithful showed up on Dollar Dog Night.
While over 5,000 frankfurters were consumed, the crowd slowly became a factor as the game went on. The 2,700 fans raised the roof on Hannon’s game-changing hit and were noticeably thrilled when Miller ended the game with three straight strikeouts.
Will Duerksen is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email wdd5066@psu.edu.
