USIU Defeats Penn State, 5-4 With Home Run in 8th Inning

Pinch hitter Kevin Tahan hit a two-out home run in the eight inning, lifting U.S. International University past visiting Penn State, 5-4, in a nonconference baseball game Sunday.

Tahan, a Patrick Henry High graduate who was a member of Stanford’s national champion team last season, pulled the ball over the left-field fence for his first homer of the year. Relief pitcher Wally Trice (3-1) pitched 2 scoreless innings and struck out four batters for the victory. USIU’s Ray Plantier and Bill Rumsey each had two doubles. USIU is 4-10-1.

For Penn State (0-1), Keith Ripka hit a solo home run.

Steve Montejano’s run-scoring double helped San Diego State’s baseball team gain an 8-8 tie with Florida, completing the teams’ three-game series Sunday at Davenport, Fla.

Montejano’s hit came in the ninth inning and made it 8-8. After Jim Gibbs retired Florida in the bottom of the inning, the game was called because SDSU had a plane to catch.

For SDSU (8-7-1), which lost the first two games, Harry Henderson had four hits, including a two-run double that gave the Aztecs a 7-6 lead in the sixth. Julio Mendez hit a two-out, two-run double off Gibbs to put Florida (10-4-1) ahead, 8-7, in the eighth.