UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Big Ten member Penn State (14-6) snapped a 3-3 tie with two runs in the eighth inning and defeated visiting Binghamton baseball (8-10) 5-3 Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

After the Bearcats had tied the game in the top of the eighth, the Nittany Lions answered with the two decisive runs in the bottom of the frame. A one-out walk was backed up with a hit-by-pitch, infield single and throwing error and the crucial two-run single up the middle.  

Binghamton brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but hit into its third double play of the game to end the contest. Penn State outhit BU 10-9. 

Trailing 3-1, BU tied the game with two runs on five hits in the top of the eighth. With the bases loaded and two out, junior left fielder Daniel Franchi singled to shortstop, scoring freshman third baseman Zachary Taylor with BU's second run. Earlier, Taylor had singled. Then sophomore center fielder Shane Marshall legged out an RBI single to second, plating sophomore shortstop Jake Evans with the tying run.

Prior to the eighth, the Bearcats created opportunities but couldn't cash in. Binghamton put the leadoff hitter aboard and had runners in scoring position four times in the first seven innings but couldn't extend its early lead. Binghamton left 12 men stranded in the game.   

The Bearcats loaded the bases in two of the first three innings and broke through with a run in the third. Franchi led off with a single and then BU was the recipient of three consecutive walks – the third of which gave senior right fielder Sean Trenholm his team-high ninth RBI of the spring.

The Nittany Lions took a 2-1 lead with three singles and a BU outfield error in the top of the fifth. Penn State plated the pair of runs on a seeing-eye two-out, two-run single up the middle.

Sophomore starter Luke Dziados went 2.0 scoreless innings and freshman Thomas Babalis followed with two clean frames. Babalis struck out a pair and allowed just one hit. Freshman Jack Collins struck out four in his two-inning stint.  
 
Franchi went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Taylor went 2-for-5. Junior catcher TJ Wegmann had a hit and threw out a pair of Nittany Lion baserunners – one at second and one at third.

The Bearcats return to America East play this weekend when they play a three-game set at Albany, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday.