Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Rutgers baseball jumped out to an early lead, but Penn State rallied back in the middle innings to take a 12-10 win in the middle game of the series Saturday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The contest was broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.

Offensively, the Scarlet Knights reached double-digit runs for the sixth time this year and scored a season-high five in the first inning. Senior Vinny Zarrillo (Forked River, N.J.), sophomore Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.), freshman Kyle Walker (Piscataway, N.J.) and sophomore Chris Folinusz (Cranford, N.J.) all registered multiple-hit afternoons in an 11-hit attack. Folinusz joined sophomore Christian Campbell (Sayreville, N.J.) and junior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) with a pair of RBIs, as Campbell blasted his first collegiate home run in the top of the fourth.

Zarrillo also added three stolen bases to bring his total to 11 for the season. His two hits brought the senior to 217 at the collegiate level, tied with Matt Wolski (1999-2003) for 10th in the program record book.

RU (15-30-1, 5-12) collected two hits in the first inning rally, but also took advantage of two walks and two hit batters. Zarrillo was drilled in the back by the first pitch of the game and stole second. Senior Joe D'Annunzio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and freshman Milo Freeman (Millburn, N.J.) then both drew walks with one-out to load the bases for Campbell, who was hit in the foot on the first pitch of his plate appearance for an RBI. Next up, Devish laced a two-run single to right-center for the first hit of the game. Then with runners at the corners, Walker put the ball in play for an RBI groundout. Capping the rally, Folinusz lined a two-out single to right to drive in Devish for the fifth run.

After Penn State (16-26, 4-12) came back with one in the second, RU responded with two in the third. Walker started it off with a triple down the left field corner and scored immediately on a balk. Then after two were retired, Zarrillo resumed with a single to center, stole second and moved to third on an error. Marcinczyk took advantage and roped an RBI single up the middle to make it a six-run game.

The scoring would not stop in the fourth, as Rutgers plated two more. With one down, Campbell lifted a high drive to left that landed in the picnic pavilion for solo shot. Following the second out, Walker collected his second extra-base hit of the day with a booming double to gap in right-center. He came around on the second two-out RBI single of the game by Folinusz, making it 9-1.

However, the Nittany Lions would answer back with seven runs in the fourth inning. The rally included six hits. RU did get one back in the sixth when Marcinczyk singled and D'Annunzio doubled with one out. During the play, PSU missed a rundown to allow Marcinczyk to come in.

Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, that would be all the scoring on day with the Nittany Lions adding one in the fifth and three in the sixth to jump ahead. Tom Mullin (4-0) earned the win in relief, as Jack Anderson recorded the final seven outs for his fourth save.

Junior Howie Brey (Middletown, N.J.) took a no-decision with four innings pitched in his 22nd career start. In relief, freshman John O'Reilly (Northvale, N.J.) (4-2) suffered the loss with two earned allowed over two frames, while senior Jon Young (Old Bridge, N.J.) kept it close late with nothing permitted in the seventh or eighth. The right-hander induced two double plays up the middle.

PSU's Jim Haley led all players in the game with four hits and Nick Riotto drove in three, including the go-ahead single.

Rutgers will look to salvage the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. Sophomore Gaby Rosa (Perth Amboy, N.J.) is slated to get the ball on the mound for the Scarlet Knights.

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