BOCA RATON, Fla. – Penn State used a four-run seventh inning to surge past the Rutgers baseball team and defeat the Scarlet Knights, 7-3, in the series finale Sunday afternoon at FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla. The Scarlet Knights (8-7) and Nittany Lions (8-8) split the four-game, weekend series.
Sophomore Michael Lang (Dumont, N.J.) finished the day 3-for-4 from the plate with an RBI and a run scored, but RU fell short in its bid to take the series victory.
Lang led off the game with an infield single and stole second to move into scoring position where the hot-hitting Dan Betteridge (Sewell, N.J.) drove him home with a line drive single to center field.
Already up, 1-0, the Scarlet Knights threatened to extend their lead in the second, loading the bases with two outs, but Penn State starter Calvin Grumley got Pat Biserta (Point Pleasant, N.J.) to pop out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the second, the Nittany Lions got leadoff singles from Cory Wine and Jordan Steranka and both were sacrificed over where a Louie Picconi fly out to center field got Wine home to put PSU on the board.
Wine reached base again in the fourth after he was hit and came around to score on the next play when Steranka found the gap in right-center field for an RBI double. Steranka reached third with one out later in the inning but Rutgers starter Charlie Law (Mainland, N.J.) made sure he stayed there with a pair of strikeouts to end the frame.
After Vinnie Sangemino (Nutley, N.J.) was hit to lead off the sixth inning, freshman Ryan Kapp (Toms River, N.J.) doubled to left-center field to set up a pair of runners in scoring position and the Scarlet Knights got them both home courtesy of a Brandon Boykin (Teaneck, N.J.) sacrifice fly and Lang single to center field to take a 3-2 lead.
PSU loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the sixth, but Law got Landon Nakata to ground out to first base to get out of the frame unscathed.
The Nittany Lions led off the seventh with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases without recording an out and Wine, who led PSU to victory in Friday’s series opener, found a hole in the right side with a hard-hit grounder to bring home two runs and give Penn State a 4-3 lead. A Steranka walk loaded the bases again and Rutgers went to its bullpen to bring in reliever Sean Campbell (Trenton, N.J.) for Law. A passed ball on Campbell’s first delivery allowed another run and PSU capped its scoring in the frame when Wes Borden hit into a fielder’s choice to get a fourth run home. Campbell rebounded with a pair of fly outs to end the inning.
Holding a three-run advantage, Penn State brought in Jesse Alfreno, who worked two shutout innings of relief and the Nittany Lions added to their lead with a run in the eighth en route to the 7-3 victory.
Law (0-1), who posted a season-high six strikeouts in six innings and had allowed just two runs in six innings prior to the four-run seventh frame, suffered the loss. Grumley (1-1) earned the win for Penn State with four strikeouts and three runs on eight hits in seven innings, while Alfreno picked up the two-inning save.
Rutgers will remain in Boca Raton, Fla. and return to FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University Tuesday and Wednesday for a two-game series with the host Owls Both games will start at 6:30 p.m.
