Michigan
9-4, 0
Penn State
4-8, 0
Michigan Falls at Penn State in Extra Innings to Open Series
3/26/2021 7:49:00 PM | Baseball
» Penn State scored in the bottom of the 10th inning to earn the win over Michigan.
» The Wolverines left the bases loaded in the top of the 10th.
» Starting pitcher Steven Hajjar set a career high with 11 strikeouts against the Nittany Lions.
Site: State College, Pa. (Medlar Field at Lubrano Park)
Score: Penn State 3, Michigan 2 (10 innings)
Records: U-M (9-4, 9-4 B1G), Penn State (4-8, 4-8 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 27 -- DH at Penn State (State College, Pa.), Noon
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan baseball team fell to Penn State, 3-2, in 10 innings on Friday (March 26) at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
After Michigan left the bases loaded in the top of the 10th inning, PSU got working against closer Willie Weiss (0-1) as Curtis Roberson led off the inning with a double. Following an intentional walk, Cole Bartels ended up with the game-inning hit when he was jammed on a fastball, but the ball bounced high over the head of third baseman Christian Molfetta into the outfield far enough for Roberson to score.
U-M starter Steven Hajjar struck out four of the first five Nittany Lions but ran into trouble with two outs in the second. A two-out walk, a double off the bat of Tayven Kelley, a passed ball and a single from Parker Hendershot gave Penn State a 2-0 lead.
Hajjar settled in again, striking out the side in the third inning for a total of eight Ks through the first nine outs of the game.
Michigan got a run back in the third inning as Molfetta's RBI groundout plated Ted Burton, who singled to shortstop in his first start of the season.
The Wolverines tied the game at 2 in the fourth when Benjamin Sems' sacrifice fly drove home Jimmy Obertop, who led off the inning with a single to right.
PSU threatened in the sixth, putting a runner on third base with no outs only to see Hajjar respond again with two more strikeouts and a fly ball to get out of danger and set a new career high in the process with his 11th punchout. That marked the end of the day for the lefty, who allowed one earned run on four this and two walks.
Michigan chased PSU starter Bailey Dees in the seventh inning when, with two outs, Burton singled to left and Jake Marti singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. Penn State closer Tyler Shingledecker got out of the jam, inducing a grounder to shortstop on his first offering.
The game went into extra innings, thanks to solid relief from Joe Pace, who struck out four batters in two innings of work. Michigan threatened in the 10th, loading the bases with two outs on a single by Molfetta and a pair of walks, but a groundout ended that threat.
Marti and Burton were the lone Michigan players to register multiple hits (two) in the game.
The Wolerines and Nittany Lions will wrap up their three-game set with a doubleheader, beginning at noon Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mellott, Mason (1-0)
L: Weiss, Willie (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Marti, Jake 1 ; Elliott, Clark 1
RBI: Molfetta, Christian 1 ; Sems, Benjamin 1
SF: Sems, Benjamin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Obertop, Jimmy 1 ; Burton, Ted 1
SB: Molfetta, Christian 1
Batting:
2B: Williams, Justin 1 ; Kelley, Tayven 1 ; Robison, Curtis 1
RBI: Bartels, Cole 1 ; Kelley, Tayven 1 ; Hendershot, Parker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Harry, Jay 1 ; Kelley, Tayven 1 ; Robison, Curtis 1
SB: Homer, Gavin 1
CS: Williams, Justin 1 ; Kremer, Kris 1
