After St. Bonaventure had scored two unearned runs in the first and sophomore pitcher Aaron Tressler had loaded the bases with one out in the second, the collective thought going through the minds of the Penn State baseball faithful had to be "Here we go again."
The Nittany Lions (12-14) were coming off of three straight losses to Ohio State, including an 11-0 defeat last Sunday in which Tressler couldn't get out of the second inning. They were also in the midst of a 21-inning scoreless streak. The writing seemed to be on the wall.
However, Tressler got out of the inning, and the Lions' bats started working, producing two runs in the third, another in the fourth, and two more in the fifth. From there, the Lion hurlers confounded the Bonnies (10-6), holding them to four total hits, and just one in the last seven innings en route to a 5-2 victory.
The Lions also settled down defensively. After a throwing error by third baseman Arin Gelletly and a dropped throw at first by Tressler in the first inning, the Lions committed only one more the rest of the game.
"We had a little bit of first-inning jitters," second baseman Mike DeRenzo said. "After that we kind of settled down, had a little discussion in the dugout, and pretty much got it together after that."
After allowing the two runs in the first, Tressler (1-2) got out of the second by getting Bonnie third baseman Mike Tegeler, the No. 2 hitter, to strike out, and inducing center fielder Dan Dennison to fly out to left field.
"The second inning was where I thought we lost the ball game," St. Bonaventure coach Larry Sudbrook said. "In baseball you have a nine-inning ball game, but sometimes you can win or lose it in the first two innings...I thought that was the turning point, because at that point we had control of the ball game and we could've been up 4-0, 5-0 with a base hit there."
Tressler then settled in and didn't allow a hit in the next three innings while striking out five batters in his five innings of work.
The solid pitching continued as senior Justin Nash entered in the sixth and cruised through three innings of hitless relief, registering three strikeouts. Freshman Tyler Wingerd yielded a hit on an untouched pop-up to begin ninth, but he got the next hitter to ground into a double play en route to his third save of the season.
After St. Bonaventure starter Saul Solveson pitched two perfect innings to start the game, the Lions broke out of their offensive funk in the third when DeRenzo ripped a two-out single to left to plate shortstop Willie Melendez. Derenzo's hit extended his hitting streak to 23 games. He would eventually score on a wild pitch to tie the game.
"I always try not to get upset the first time through a lineup when a pitcher mows us down," Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang said. "We always tell the hitters, don't let that at-bat affect your succeding at bats."
They took the lead in the fourth when designated hitter Adam Warchal scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Arin Gelletly. The insurance runs came in the fifth when left fielder Chris Wright came through with a two-run, line-drive single to left field, scoring DeRenzo and centerfielder Wes Reohr.
The Lions hope their victory gains them some momentum going back into Big Ten action this weekend. They host Minnesota in a four-game set at Beaver Field.
