MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Matt Parks hit a walk-off grand slam in extra innings to give Penn State Harrisburg baseball a thrilling 7-3 come-from-behind victory over No. 15 Shenandoah in the opening contest of a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon, April 14. In the nightcap, a six-run top of the fourth proved the difference in a 7-1 victory for the Hornets.
GAME 1
Penn State Harrisburg (13-2) erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning before Matt Parks put an exclamation point on game one with Shenandoah (16-5) thanks to his walk-off grand slam.
The Lions trailed 3-1 entering the bottom half of what proved to be the final frame but Ryan McSorley and Dallas Hite led off with back-to-back singles before a Chase Smith walk loaded the bases for Bret Williams. Williams was patient at the plate and worked a walk that brought McSorley across and cut the deficit to one. Casey Winters was hit by a pitch and Hite came across to tie things up before Parks launched the first pitch of his at-bat over the fence in right field to secure the victory and send the Blue & White dugout into a celebratory frenzy.
The game was tied at 1-1 after seven scheduled innings but the Hornets took advantage of a Penn State Harrisburg error in the top of the eighth, scoring a pair of runs and putting some breathing room between themselves and the home team.
Prior to the final few frames, the contest proved a pitcher's duel, with starters Zach Gettys and Michael Prosperi surrendering just one run each. Prosperi allowed one hit and struck out eight in five innings of work, while Gettys struck out seven in seven innings thrown.
GAME 2
A six-run fourth inning for Shenandoah (17-5) proved the difference in Penn State Harrisburg's game-two defeat on Wednesday afternoon.
With the game tied at 1-1 after three stanzas, the Hornets used six hits, including a two-run home run, to rack up six runs in the top of the fourth. The deficit proved too much for the Blue & White to overcome the rest of the way.
The Lions got on the board first in the nightcap when Bret Williams singled with two away, Ryan McSorley worked a walk, and Matt Parks singled up the middle to drive in Williams in the bottom of the opening frame. The home team loaded the bases but SU pitcher Reilly Owen was able to work out of trouble, limit the damage, and allow his offense to use a single, a pair of walks, and an RBI groundout to tie things up in the top of the second.
Williams reached base twice in the final three innings but Penn State Harrisburg was unable to bring him around and make any headway in cutting into the deficit.
NOTABLES:
- Matt Parks had a huge day at the plate. He went 2-for-4 in the opener with a grand slam before finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI in game two.
- Bret Williams joined Parks as Penn State Harrisburg players with multi-hit efforts in the nightcap.
- Casey Winters scored two runs in the opener, while Williams score twice across both games.
- Zach Gettys was outstanding in his game-one outing. He threw seven innings and allowed just one run to go along with seven strikeouts.
- Tyler Jackson earned the win in the opener after recording the final three outs in the top of the eighth.
- Colby Martin took the loss in game one for SU, as the Lions tagged him for six runs on three hits and four walks in 1.1 innings of relief work.
- With the split on Wednesday, the Blue & White improved to 5-3 in non-conference play this spring.
- Shenandoah is the first nationally-ranked opponent the Lions faced this season.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions get right back to it when they host Penn College for a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) doubleheader on Thursday afternoon, April 15.