Penn State baseball (7-15, 1-5 Big Ten) fell to the Purdue Boilermakers (10-14, 3-0 Big Ten) in all three of its weekend series games in a defensive stalemate not broken until the third matchup at Medlar Field. Penn State’s Justin Hagenman pitched seven innings and tallied nine strikeouts in Friday’s game — his best game of the season — but a determined Purdue team pushed past Penn State.

How it Happened

Game One

Purdue jumped to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first three innings. The Boilermakers held Penn State scoreless through six innings, but solid pitching by Hagenman held Purdue at three. Penn State first baseman Curtis Robison scored off a double in the seventh inning and hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. Center fielder Mason Nadeau used Robison’s sacrifice in the eighth inning to score from third after advancing there from second off a ball sent into the dugout. Penn State scored only those two runs, though, despite getting a man to third in the bottom of the ninth, and lost the game 3-2.

Game Two

Braxton Giavedoni led the Nittany Lions with a solo home run in the first of Saturday’s doubleheader. Penn State scored twice in the first inning and took the lead, until Purdue scored three times in the second inning and twice in the third off a two-run homerun by Jacson McGowan. The Boilermakers scored again in the fourth inning, but the game remained scoreless from there, ending with Purdue up 6-3. Taylor Lehman pitched six innings for Penn State, throwing six strikeouts.

Game Three

Scoreless through the fourth inning, a defensive matchup turned into a blowout win for Purdue after a pitchers’ duel in Saturday’s second game. Penn State’s Dante Biasi and Purdue’s Trent Johnson squared off at Lubrano Park Saturday afternoon to end the series. Biasi held his own until the fifth inning, when Purdue loaded the bases and eventually scored four runs in that inning. Jacson McGowan had another good game and drove in two runs to lead the game in RBIs with Purdue’s shortstop Harry Shipley. Penn State second baseman Conlin Hughes broke the silence for Penn State by hitting a double to center field in the fifth inning.

Player of the Series

Justin Hagenman | Junior | Pitcher

Hagenman pitched deeper into Friday’s game than he has all season and tallied nine strikeouts — another season best. His effort on the mound kept Penn State in a game that lacked in batting performance, so his ability to hold down the Nittany Lions when their offense isn’t clicking will continue to be invaluable.

What’s Next?

Penn State takes on West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 at Medlar Field, followed by St. Bonaventure at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, also at home. Wednesday St. The Nittany Lions hit the road this weekend for a series at Minnesota.