The three game "home away from home" stand didn't go the way that former Penn State third baseman Scott Gummo would have hoped, but he wasn't overly disappointed.
Gummo had no hits or walks in seven plate appearances in the first two games and was given the third game off to rest. In the first game he was benched for defensive purposes after the seventh inning when the Hudson Valley Renegades rallied to tie and eventually win the 14-inning saga on Tuesday.
"I haven't hit the ball the way I wanted to, but that's baseball," Gummo said. "I'm just happy my friends and family can come and watch. I wanted to put on a better display, but stuff happens."
Unfortunately for Gummo, he didn't make up for the lack of offense in his fielding performance either. On a routine grounder, Gummo went down for it, but it caromed off the side of his glove for a head-shaker.
In another instance of what at first appeared like a botched play, Gummo took a few steps back on a foul pop and reached up for the grab with men on first and third base. On first, the speedster Jim Rapoport tagged up and went to second for what was certainly the shortest sacrifice fly in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park's brief history.
After the game, Renegades manager Matt Quatraro explained that Gummo made the correct call on the fly, even though to the average spectator, it may not have appeared that way.
"His reasoning for not throwing the ball was that he didn't want the other guy to score," Quatraro said. "There were two outs, and he knew the guy was a quick runner. He made a decision on the spot. We'll live with that.
"It didn't end up hurting us. He's a pretty heads-up guy. He seems to be aware of what's going on on the field around him and not just making rash decisions."
As far as Gummo as an addition to the club, Quatraro said, "So far, so good."
Quatraro said Gummo has not stuck out in a good or bad way as far as a clubhouse presence. At times, he's been very noticeable with his bat, though. Gummo has shown off some of the power that made him a sure middle-of-the-lineup starter for Penn State.
"He drives the ball. He's hit a couple balls to the gap," Quatraro said. "A couple doubles to the left center gap, one down the left field line. He's showing some bat speed and power. He's hit some balls out in BP so, yeah, we can see that that's there."
Even though Gummo didn't get to show off his power at Medlar Field the way he would have liked, he was still thrilled at playing inside the new stadium, a conquest he had coveted since his days in college.
"That field over there, you wouldn't even use it as a practice field anymore," Gummo said of Beaver Field. "This is definitely gonna bring in the recruiting class for Penn State, and it's really gonna help out the program. It's a beautiful ballpark and I know me growin' up here, I always looked forward to something like this coming to town."
