SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team erased an early deficit and held a late lead but couldn't make it stick in a 7-6 non-conference road loss to Susquehanna on Tuesday afternoon, March 22. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

As it has a number of times this season, Penn State Harrisburg (6-10) was involved in a close game on Tuesday afternoon. This time, the Lions were unable to hold on in the final few innings, as Susquehanna (4-11) walked it off thanks to scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth frame.

Matt Parks went 2-for-4 from the dish with a home run, two RBI, a run scored, and a walk, while Dallas Hite was 2-for-5 with a homer and a stolen base. Kevin Lehner was the third Penn State Harrisburg player to have a multi-hit outing.

The Blue & White fell behind early after the River Hawks plated the game's first run in the bottom of the opening stanza and another in the third but Hite reversed the momentum and cut the deficit in half with a solo home run in the top of the fifth. Lehner singled to left field and Parks followed it up by putting the visitors in front for the first time with a two-run shot. Before the inning was through, Chase Smith and Brendan Henn worked back-to-back walks, Matt Isaac moved Smith to third with a fly out to right field, and Smith stole home to make it 4-2.

Susquehanna got one back in the bottom of the fifth but did more damage in the seventh, when a Penn State Harrisburg error combined with a hit batsman, a wild pitch, and a walk allowed three River Hawks to come across.

The Lions drew to within one in the top of the eighth when Drew Sassaman scored from third on an SU error after he and Hite swiped bags and pinch runner Robbie Skinner tied things up in the top of the ninth when he scored from third thanks to a wild pitch. 

The visitors quickly got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth but Susquehanna again took advantage of a pair of free bases, using a walk and a hit by pitch to move a runner into scoring position before a two-out single allowed the game-winning run to score from second base and spoil Penn State Harrisburg's comeback effort.

NOTABLES

- Matt Parks' home run was his team-leading fourth of the year and his second in as many games.

- For Dallas Hite, his solo shot was his third home run of the spring. 

- After another multi-hit outing, Kevin Lehner upped his batting average to a team-best .321.

- Nick Fitzgerald got the start on the mound, going 3.1 innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits. He also struck out five River Hawks.

- The Lions were aggressive on the base paths, racking up five stolen bases on the day.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions will look to bounce back when they host conference foe Wells for the first contest of a three-game weekend series on Friday afternoon, March 25. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.

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