STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – It was a day to remember for the Rutgers baseball team on Saturday, as the Scarlet Knights set Big Ten program records in hits (25) and runs (20) en route to a series-clinching win over Penn State, with a final score of 20-6 in State College.
 
"Our guys showed up and they were ready to play, as evidenced by the first inning.," head coach Steve Owens said of the win. "That's a good sign and that's what we preach – play every inning hard until the end."
 
For the first time since 2010 against FIU, four different RU players had at least four hits, with Danny DiGeorgio (5), Tony Santa Maria (5), Ryan Lasko (4) and Nick Cimillo (4) all having big days.
 
Ryan Lasko dominated all three games of the series, finishing the weekend 9-for-12 with 3 RBI, 5 runs, two doubles, a home run, five walks and two stolen bases.
 
"He was awesome in every aspect," Owens said of Lasko. "He was the best player on the field all weekend. He's a really talented player. We also got a tremendous game today from Tony Santa Maria and we got a tremendous game from Danny DiGeorgio."
 
Through four innings in a cold and snowy Medlar Field, Rutgers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and starter Nate Florence was through 4.0 near-perfect innings. Things would open up in the fifth, with Rutgers scoring 4 more runs to lead 11-0. The Nittany Lions responded with 5 of their own in the bottom half to make it an 11-6 ballgame.
 
Garrett French relieved Florence for the sixth and gave up an unearned run before settling in. He would bridge the gap to the final frame, tossing 3.0 innings of relief with no earned runs and a strikeout.
 
After the Scarlet Knights exploded for 8 more runs in the top of the ninth to make the score 20-6, Parker Scott finished things off with a scoreless bottom half to wrap up a successful Saturday.
 
"These games are all hard. This game was hard in the middle. It's a tough game and you have to stay locked in the whole time," Owens said. "I'm really pleased with the effort we got today across the board."
 

SCORING

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The Scarlet Knights host NJIT (Tuesday) and Saint Peter's (Wednesday) in midweek action at Bainton Field.
 
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