SALISBURY, Md. - Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team ended its recent four-game skid in a big way, defeating No. 5 Salisbury 6-4 in the first contest of a two-game road series on Thursday afternoon, March 10. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State Harrisburg (3-6) ground out a valuable road victory over the defending national champions from Salisbury (7-5) on Thursday afternoon, ending an uncharacteristic four-game skid in the process.

Dallas Hite had a multi-hit outing and stole three bases, Kevin Lehner homered, and a Ryan McSorley walk brought the game-winning run across in the seventh inning. Kevin Maiolo picked up his first win of the season on the mound, Danny Eden turned in another solid relief effort, and Zach Gettys earned the six-out save. 

With runners on the corners and two away in the top of the first, Hite's aggressiveness and head's up play on the base paths paid off when he stole home on a pickoff attempt to first base by Seagull starter Benji Thalheimer. 

A Stephen Rice solo home run tied things up in the bottom of the opening frame but Hite's bases-loaded ground ball in the top of the second drove in Maddux Ryan and reclaimed a one-run advantage for the Lions. 

Salisbury took its first lead of the day thanks to a two-run bottom of the third but Lehner responded by ripping a line-drive solo shot over the left field fence in the top of the ensuing stanza. The visitors also took advantage of an error in the fourth that allowed Sam Merchant to score on a Matt Parks ground ball. 

The home team drew even thanks to a fifth-inning sacrifice fly but the Lions got things going in the top of the seventh and McSorley worked a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk to put his squad out in front for the fourth and final time. Later in the half inning, Lehner brought Parks across with a ground ball to add an insurance run. 

Maiolo stranded two runners in the bottom of the seventh before giving way to Gettys. The lefty worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth before shutting the door with a pair of ground ball outs and a flyout in the ninth. 

NOTABLES

- The victory is Penn State Harrisburg's highest over a ranked team since defeating No. 2 Christopher Newport in April 2019.

- Salisbury is the second top-five team the Lions have faced in as many weeks after facing then No. 5-ranked Johns Hopkins last Wednesday. 

- Hite went 2-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored, and three stolen bases. 

- Lehner's solo shot was his second home run of the young season. 

- Kevin Maiolo earned the win on the rubber, throwing 1.2 innings of relief, striking out two Seagulls, and allowing just two hits.

- Zach Gettys picked up the six-out save, throwing the final two frames and surrendering just one hit. 

- Danny Eden was solid in three innings of relief work, giving up just one run on one hit and striking out three. 

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions wrap up their two-game series with Salisbury on Friday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

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