STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The St. Bonaventure baseball team gave a Big Ten opponent all it wanted on its home turf Wednesday night, but came up just short as Penn State came away with a 3-2 victory in 10 innings at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Nittany Lions (9-13) led by two early, thanks to scoring a run in each of their first two trips to the plate.
Bona got on the board in the fifth when Jagger Nucci drilled a triple to left center, scoring Danny Manion all the way from first following a leadoff single.
Jack Putney tied things up in the seventh as his single through the right side plated Jackson DeJohn from second for the 2-2 tie.
In the ninth, the Bonnies placed the go-ahead run on second with one away as Manion walked to lead off the inning. DeJohn moved the runner into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
Penn State also threatened to end the game in the home half of the ninth via a walk and a sacrifice to place a runner at second. With one away, though, Ben Berger made a running catch on a fly ball to center and doubled off the runner at second for a lineout double play, forcing extras.
The hosts finally broke through in the 10th.
After Gabe Watts coaxed a fly out begin the inning, Penn State strung together three consecutive one-out singles with Jay Harry winning the game with his base knock to right. The throw home was a strong one from Putney in right, but just up the line and as DeJohn reached around for the tag on the play at the plate, Matt Wood was able to get his hand in beneath DeJohn's glove for the winning run.
Tripp Breen started and threw well, allowing just one earned run in his four frames, walking three and striking out five. Kyle Caringi followed with three scoreless frames, fanning one. Watts tossed the final 2.1 innings, allowing a run on three hits with a strikeout.
Luke Roggenburk had two hits for SBU and the Bonnies pitching staff limited the Nittany Lions to seven hits, four across the first nine frames.
St. Bonaventure opens Atlantic 10 play with a three-game set at George Washington beginning Friday.
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