UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior Ryan Ulisse's two-run double in the seventh inning propelled the Lafayette baseball team to victory over Penn State, 5-3, on Wednesday at Medlar Field.

The win is the first over a Power Five conference school since the Leopards beat Notre Dame in 2017 and the first win over a current Big Ten opponent since Lafayette beat Maryland in 2007. Lafayette last beat Penn State in 1990, a 7-5 victory. 

The Maroon and White opened the scoring in the second, as junior Bode Grieve ripped a single up the middle that scored senior Michael Zarrillo, giving Lafayette a 1-0 lead.

Penn State tied the game, 1-1, in the fourth on a solo home run by Joe Jaconski and then the Nittany Lions took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on an RBI-single by Paxton Kling.

In the seventh, Lafayette responded as Ulisse laced a two-run double down the left field line, scoring Grieve and freshman Alex Barrist, as the Lafayette Nine jumpers out to a 3-2 lead.  Later in the frame, Ulisse scored on a wild pitch to make the tally 4-2.

In the eighth, The Leopards added an insurance run as Ethan Swidler scored on a Penn State error that gave the Maroon and White a 5-2 advantage.

Penn State scored a run in the ninth, but senior Mike Romano kept the Nittany Lions off the board for the rest of the inning and secured the 5-3 Lafayette win.

Freshman Trey Zaffiro earned his first collegiate win for the Leopards, working 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits and striking out four. Romano earned the save, pitching 2.0 innings, giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout. Mason Butash took the loss, tossing 1.0 innings and allowing a hit and three runs.

Next up, the Leopards host Army for a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.