Penn State Baseball Goes 1-2 Against Northwestern
Rob Cooper’s Nittany Lions (13-26, 2-10 Big Ten) bounced back from a pair of losses to start their homestand against Northwestern with a walk-off, 2-1, win on Sunday. The Wildcats took Friday night’s series opener 12-5 and Saturday’s contest 7-4.
How It Happened
Game One
Starter Sal Biasi gave Penn State five solid innings, allowing three runs with seven strikeouts. The relief effort was a different story. Dakota Forsyth took the loss after failing to record an out and surrendering four earned runs. Lefty Taylor Lehman tossed four wild pitches in what turned out to be a nine-run sixth inning for the Wildcats.
Senior left fielder Nick Riotto turned in a fantastic outing from the plate, however. He finished a career-high 4-for-4 from the plate, including a solo homer over the right-center wall in the fourth inning, and added a walk. But the dreadful sixth was too much to overcome in a 12-5 setback.
Game Two
Northwestern rode a four-run third inning to a 7-4 win over the Nittany Lions. Sophomore starter Justin Hagenman (1-7) went seven innings in the loss, but a whopping five errors from his defense resulted in six unearned runs. Freshman center fielder Mason Nadeau continued to heat up after coming back from an injury a few games ago. He tallied a team-high three hits (all singles) and scored a run Saturday. Sophomore Conlin Hughes chipped in a pair of RBIs as well.
Game Three
Redshirt freshman Eric Mock put together a strong case to be Penn State’s Sunday starter moving forward with a sterling six-inning performance. He allowed just two hits and one run with five strikeouts, but reliever Nick Distasio earned the victory. It was all tied up, 1-1, heading into the home half of the ninth before Braxton Giavedoni’s bases-loaded single plated Logan Goodnight for the walk-off win. Senior second baseman Christian Helsel led the Nittany Lion offense with three hits, including a double, on the afternoon.
Player Of The Series
Mason Nadeau | Freshman | Center fielder
The Lansdale, Pa., native racked up four hits, three walks, and two runs over the weekend.
What’s Next?
Penn State is back at Medlar Field Wednesday for a non-conference game against Lafayette at 6:30 p.m.
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