SCOTLAND — The Chambersburg pitchers were giving away free bases on Tuesday afternoon and the State College batters were more than happy to accept them.

The Trojans issued 9 walks and three runs scored on wild pitches as the Little Lions cruised to a 7-1 Mid Penn Commonwealth baseball victory at Greene Township Park.

Kadyn McMullen

It could have been a lot worse — State College (2-4, 2-1 MPC) stranded 12 batters — at least one in each inning.

“We have to throw the ball across the plate and let our defense try to make the plays,” Chambersburg coach Scott Folmar said. “We did make a couple of errors today, which hurt, but the big thing is we have to throw more strikes. State College was patient and didn’t swing at bad pitches.”

Kadyn McMullen started for the Trojans (1-5, 0-3 MPC) and went 3.2 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs (2 earned), and only one walk.

Folmar said, “He’s a strike thrower, and he should have given up only one run. But we didn’t want him to go through their lineup for the third time and their leadoff batter (Sebastien Rhodes, who was due up) had hit him hard both times.”

Kam Mauriello entered with two outs and a runner on first, but he could not locate the strike zone. He walked two batters, and a wild pitch scored a run to make it 3-1. In the fifth, a walk, an error, a sacrifice bunt and another wild pitch gave the Little Lions a 4-1 cushion.

In a two-run sixth reliever Brady Truett walked three batters and for the third time, a runner scored on a wild pitch, and Finn Powers added an RBI base hit.

State College took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on a double by Rhodes, an RBI infield single by Jake Hall, and two fielder’s choice ground balls.

Chambersburg had its big chance in the bottom of the third off starter Cody Norman. After an out, Ceagan Truett reached on an error, Evan Brown walked and Ryne Mills hit a line-drive single to load the bases. Keaton Barclay then worked a walk for a run and out went Norman.

Jude Scavone entered in relief and shut the door. He got a strikeout and a grounder to retire the side, and finished the game with 4.2 innings of work, allowing 2 hits and no walks and striking out 8. SC pitching totaled 12 strikeouts for the day.

“When we had the bases loaded there in the third, that was our big chance,” Folmar said. “We didn’t have good at-bats. Then we had trouble with (Scavone) — we took way too many first-pitch fastballs over the plate, got behind in the count, and then couldn’t hit his curve.”

NOTES: In the fourth inning, Scavone threw 9 pitches and struck out the side, with all three batters swinging and missing on strike three … The Trojans had just 4 hits, two by Mills.