The Penn State Nittany Lions dropped the first two games of a three-game set against the Maryland Terrapins last weekend, as the two sides provided for an electric series. Here are the biggest storylines from last week.
Cease makes waves in the lineup
Penn State second baseman Derek Cease made his first start since March 1 when he was in the lineup against Maryland on Friday. Cease ended up playing the entire weekend at second base, and he impressed at the plate by going 7-for-11 and recording a hit in each of the three games. His batting average jumped to a solid .500 in 24 at-bats this season, and it looks like he's going to continue to have an impact for the Nittany Lions late in his senior year.
Extra-inning thriller
Saturday was a long day at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park as the Terrapins and Nittany Lions went back and forth in an offensive shootout. Maryland led the entire game until the bottom of the eighth inning when a Ryan Weingartner RBI single and a Paxton Kling sacrifice fly gave Penn State two runs and the lead heading into the ninth. The Terrapins responded with two runs in the top of the ninth inning and used home runs in the 10th and 11th innings to cement the 12-11 victory in 11 innings.
History has been made
The Nittany Lions officially broke the program single-season stolen bases record as a team on Friday as Joe Jaconski stole third base and eventually went home on a throwing error in the bottom of the fourth inning. Penn State swiped six bags over the weekend, now giving them 97 steals on the year, having broken the previous record of 91 in 2000.
Kling injury status in question
Center fielder Paxton Kling had to get looked at by the athletic trainer during Friday and Saturday's games, raising questions about the LSU transfer's health. He left the game on Saturday with a rolled ankle, the second time he had rolled his ankle last weekend, in the top of the ninth inning. He ended up being replaced by Cohl Mercado, who also took his spot in Sunday's win while Kling played designated hitter.