MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The Stevenson University baseball team dropped a tough 8–7 decision to Penn State Harrisburg on Tuesday afternoon in a back-and-forth contest at Nittany Field.
Stevenson came out strong, plating four runs in the opening inning behind RBI singles from Collin Palmieri, Caleb Laverty, and Graham Sears. The Mustangs collected six hits in the frame to take an early 4–0 advantage.
Penn State Harrisburg responded quickly, scoring three runs across the first two innings to cut the deficit to one. After a quiet stretch, Ben Vaughan extended the Stevenson lead with a solo home run in the fourth inning, making it 5–3.
The Lions took the lead in the fifth inning, capitalizing on timely hitting to score four runs and take a 7–5 lead.
Vaughan delivered again in the seventh, blasting his second home run of the game—a two-run shot—to tie the contest at 7–7. He finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI to lead the Mustangs offensively.
On the mound, Stevenson used multiple arms, with Zane Stone, Jacob Laumann, and Chris Fortunato combining for 4.0 scoreless innings in relief to keep the game within reach late.
In the bottom of the ninth, Penn State Harrisburg capitalized on a late opportunity, scoring the game-winning run on a throwing error to secure the 8–7 victory.
The Mustangs will travel to Alvernia for Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) match up set for 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
