Due to severe winter weather in Minneapolis this weekend, Penn State’s (7-18, 1-8 Big Ten) three game series against Minnesota (21-10, 5-1 Big Ten) had to be moved to Purdue’s Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana. The location change may have brought better conditions, but it didn’t improve the outcome for the Nittany Lions. Rob Cooper’s squad came up just short in game one before getting blown out in the final two games of the series.

Game One

Justin Hagenman took the mound for Penn State in the series opener, facing off against Minnesota right-hander Sam Thoreson. Both pitchers were dealing early, as they breezed through the first three innings scoreless. Hagenman ran into trouble first, walking three Golden Gophers to load the bases with only one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. The junior struck out the next batter he faced, but the ball got behind catcher Ryan Sloniger, and a run scored on the passed ball. Minnesota center fielder Alex Boxwell followed that up with a two-RBI single to right, extending the lead to 3-0 Minnesota.

The lead didn’t last, however, as the Nittany Lions were gifted some runs in the top half of the fifth inning. With runners at the corners and two outs, Minnesota went to the bullpen, calling on freshman southpaw Bubba Horton. Horton struggled to find the strike zone, as he walked the first batter he faced before allowing a run on a wild pitch. Horton then walked three more batters, and Penn State scored two more runs without putting the ball in play. Minnesota opted for another reliever, but Penn State shortstop Joe Weisenseel capped off the inning with a base hit to center that tacked two more runs to the offensive total.

Minnesota got one run back in the home half of the fifth thanks to a pair of defensive errors, and that was all for Friday’s action. Despite the location change, the Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers weren’t completely safe from from inclement conditions in Indiana. Falling temperatures forced the umpires to suspend game one with Penn State leading 5-4 on Friday night.

The sixth-inning resumed on Saturday at 1 p.m. with Taylor Lehman toeing the rubber for Penn State. Lehman struggled, as Minnesota loaded the bases on one hit and a pair of walks. Lehman walked in the tying run before Eli Wilson drove in two runs on a single to right center to reclaim the lead for the Golden Gophers on day two, 7-5. Minnesota right-hander Brett Schulze held the Nittany Lions hitless on Saturday until the ninth inning. Penn State managed to put runners on the corners and score one on a sacrifice. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Nittany Lions dropped game one 7-6.

Game Two

The second game of the weekend series ended up being a slugfest for Minnesota, and a very
lackluster performance offensively for Penn State. The Golden Gophers struck first in the
bottom of the first inning, driving in two runs that all began with a Luke Pettersen single, and
ended with Micah Coffey singling to get the second run in.

The Nittany Lions remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning, when Curtis Robison doubled to right field, and then advanced to third on an error. He would score on the next at bat, with a Logan Goodnight RBI groundout. In the time that it took for the Nittany Lions to get that first run on the board, the Golden Gophers already had 12 runs knocked in, and punched in 5 more in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Penn State added one run to the board, but it made no difference in the end result, which was an overwhelming 17-2 win for Minnesota.

Game Three

In the third game, things once again did not fall in place for Nittany Lions’ offense and defense, giving up the last game to the Golden Gophers.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third, when Minnesota put two runs on the board. It all started with Luke Petterson being walked, and advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. Petterson then scored on a Terrin Vavra double down the left field line.

Penn State stayed scoreless for the next three innings until the top of the seventh, when they managed to notch two runs. This little outburst began with Curtis Robison reaching first on an error, then two walks to Parker Hendershot and Colin Hughes. Jordan Bowersox singled to right field, driving in what would end up be the only two runs of the game for the Nittany Lions. Minnesota had no problem producing offense, tallying 8 runs, and seeming to not be on edge at all in the series.

Player of the Series

Jordan Bowersox | Junior | Outfielder 

In a weekend lacking notable performers, Bowersox did the most to produce for Penn State’s offense, going 4-for-12 on the weekend. The junior got on base three times to score two of Penn State’s six runs in game one of the series and drove in two more in the series finale.

What’s Next

Penn State (7-18) hopes to end its seven game losing streak when it plays host to West Virginia (13-15) at PNC Park in Pittsburgh this Tuesday, April 8 before returning to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to play Binghamton (8-15) on Wednesday, April 9. The Nittany Lions’ home stand continues with a Big Ten weekend series against Ohio State (20-9, 3-1 Big Ten) April 13-15.

Editor’s note: This post was written by both Hayden Christ and Anthony Fiset.