Key takeaways from Penn State baseball's scrimmage sweep of St. Bonaventure

The Penn State Nittany Lions opened up their 2024 fall ball schedule last Friday with two wins (5-4 in Game 1, 3-2 in Game 2) over the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Penn State needed two walk-offs to push past the Bonnies via a Cohl Mercado hit-by-pitch in Game 1 and a Jack Messina single in Game 2. Here are the key takeaways from Friday's scrimmage:

Mercado played past his expectations

Designated hitter Cohl Mercado played in both games, and his Game 1 performance was not anything to scoff at. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a walk-off hit by pitch. He followed up this performance in Game 2 with a walk and another stolen base. A former player in the Mike Gambino era at Boston College, he's making a good case to play a starting role in the spring.

Jaconski brothers got the job done

Joe Jaconski (2B/CF) struggled at the plate on Friday, only scoring one run and going 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. His brother, Jesse (LF/1B) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a double in his Penn State debut. Jesse was the only player to record a hit in both games, and his versatility will help Coach Gambino in figuring out the lineup for the spring.

Renner struggled in his return

RHP Chase Renner played the top of the 6th inning of Game 1, where he started off by torching the mid-90s with his fastball. He didn't control these pitches very well, however, as he walked three batters, allowed two hits, and recorded two earned runs. On the bright side, he struck out the final three batters including a 3-0 count that turned into three straight strikes in his first game since February 17, 2023 when he suffered an injury.

Pitching staff made an impact in both games

The Nittany Lion pitchers struck out 23 batters over 14 innings of play (two seven-inning games) in the scrimmage sweep over the Bonnies, including 16 Ks in Game 2. RHP Ben DeMell was the only pitcher to strike out all three batters he faced on Friday. At times, the pitchers struggled, but they found their momentum in a stat that seemed few in far between for a long time in Happy Valley: strikeouts.