Rob Cooper’s Nittany Lions grabbed their 10th win out of the last 12 games Wednesday evening under a partly cloudy sky at Medlar Field, blowing past Bucknell, 8-1, thanks in large part to a stellar effort from senior left fielder Greg Guers.

How It Happened

Batting in the three hole, Guers, a Langhorne, Pa., native, went 4-for-4 from the plate with four RBIs, a walk, and two runs scored, helping Penn State (19-14, 5-4 Big Ten) to another important mid-week victory. It was the first four-hit game for Guers as a Nittany Lion.

Senior southpaw Nick Hedge took the mound and tossed four strong innings, while allowing only two hits and striking out two. Cooper went with a committee approach for his bullpen against the Bison, led by head coach Scott Heather, as Dakota Forsyth, Eli Nabholz, Nick DIstasio, and Tom Mullin combined to close things out over the last five frames.

Bucknell’s pitching staff, on the other hand, struggled to keep the Nittany Lions’ bats in check. Freshman Christian Tailor took the loss after giving up three runs over the course of two innings, while Max Kra allowed three more Nittany Lions to cross the plate in only one inning of work. In fact, all six Bison relievers rotated each inning from there on out.

The top three of the Bucknell order — center fielder Brett Smith, left fielder Danny Rafferty, and second baseman Joe Ogren — recorded a hit apiece, but their teammates weren’t as fortunate, as they were held hitless. In total, seven Nittany Lions found a gap in the defense. On top of Guers’ stellar performance, Nick Riotto, Jim Haley, and Tyler Kendall notched two base knocks apiece, while freshmen Willie Burger and Connor Klemann, as well as junior Christian Helsel each added a hit.

Penn State did most of its damage in the bottom half of the third and fourth, tallying a combined seven of its eight runs off nine hits during the stretch. It’s certainly fair to share that Cooper’s club is playing its best baseball since his arrival three years ago.

Player Of The Game

Greg Guers | Left fielder | Senior

Guers fueled the Penn State bats Wednesday night by getting on base five times and crossing home twice.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will travel to Evanston, Ill., for a Big Ten weekend series with Northwestern (9-24, 2-7 Big Ten). All three games will be televised through BTN Plus. Friday’s matchup will get started at 4 p.m. ET, with Saturday and Sunday’s tilts scheduled for 3 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.