Penn State baseball (14-10, 1-5 Big Ten) lost two games to Indiana (20-8, 5-1 Big Ten) on Sunday, by scores of 4-1 and 22-11.

The losses came after the Nittany Lions won the first game of the series on Saturday 7-2, but lost all three games of their prior Big Ten series to Michigan.

Game One

Daniel Ouderkirk started on the mound for the Nittany Lions and immediately had some struggles. After striking out the first batter, he slipped twice on the mound against the second and soon loaded the bases.

A deep sacrifice fly scored Indiana’s first run, as Bobby Whalen reached home plate standing up. Still, the Nittany Lions avoided any more issues with a groundout to end the inning on the next batter.

Indiana wasn’t quiet in the second inning either. A ground ball to third base saw a play made at third, but Josh Pyne scored to make it a 2-0 game. After Ouderkirk loaded the bases again, his day on the mound came to an early end.

Ouderkirk’s successor, Steven Miller, didn’t fare much better in the second inning. He allowed two more runs before closing it out.

After a quiet three innings to start the game, things appeared to improve for Penn State. With one out on the board, Johnny Piacentino tripled before Grant Norris sent him home with a deep double.

With two outs on the board in the fourth inning, Indiana pulled Seti Manase off the mound for Ryan Kraft. Kraft forced a groundout from Anthony Steele to end the inning, with the Hoosiers leading 4-1.

While Steven Miller struggled in the second inning, he cleaned up his act for the duration of the game. Across the next seven innings, he walked just one batter, while striking out seven and allowing no runs.

However, Miller’s teammates weren’t able to produce much on offense. The Nittany Lions recorded just four hits across the game, as they fell 4-1.

Game Two

Jordan Morales started on the mound for Penn State in the second game.

Indiana led off the scoring in the second inning. After Brock Tibbitts doubled to right field, a single from Tyler Cerny sent him to home plate for the only run of the inning.

The Hoosiers stayed hot in the third inning. After starting the inning with two flyouts, Indiana loaded the bases. A single from Pyne sent two runners home before another single from Carter Mathison increased Indiana’s lead to 4-0.

Kyle Hannon responded for Penn State, as his deep ball to right-center field sent him and Tayven Kelley around the bases. Thomas Bramley followed up with a solo home run, bringing the score to 4-3. Jay Harry kept the party going, as a double from Bobby Marsh sent Harry home to tie the game.

Penn State took the lead in that same inning, as Josh Spiegel’s single sent two more runs home. At the end of the third inning, the Nittany Lions were up 6-4.

Indiana worked the score back in the fourth inning, as Whalen’s double drove in a run, while a sacrifice groundout from Devin Taylor drove in another run.

The Hoosiers retook the lead in the fifth inning, as a shot to left field from Cerny drove in three runs, putting Penn State down 9-6 with no outs recorded. Struggles continued for the Nittany Lions, as they allowed two more runs before the end of the inning.

The sixth inning was more of the same. A hit that should have been a single turned into a double when it slipped past Billy Gerlott, as two more runners crossed home plate.

The inning came to a close as Piacentino made an incredible grab against the wall. However, the center fielder’s impact with the wall sent him to the ground for several minutes, though he walked off on his own weight.

Indiana kept scoring in the seventh inning, with a solo homer from Taylor. Though the Hoosiers continued to put the game out of reach, Penn State responded at the bottom of the inning with two runs from a double by Spiegel. He later scored off a single from Kelley.

Penn State recorded two more runs in the seventh inning and gave itself a glimmer of hope. While Marsh’s strikeout at the end of the inning was anti-climatic, the Nittany Lions were suddenly within striking distance.

The Nittany Lions had plenty of chances to score in the eighth inning but ultimately came up short. However, Indiana wasted no time in scoring in the ninth. The Hoosiers led off with a moonshot to right field and improved their lead to 15-11.

A few more hits from the visitors added up to seven more runs, while Penn State was struggling on defense. The Nittany Lions didn’t have a solution to stop their opponents as the Hoosiers ran up the score.

Penn State wasn’t able to put any offensive effort together in the ninth inning and lost the second game 22-11.

Takeaways

• Despite the loss in the first game, Miller put on a show. After closing out a messy second inning, the senior made few mistakes and did all he could to keep his team in the game.
• Granted, pitching wasn’t good for either team in the second game, but Penn State really suffered. The team gave up 18 hits while allowing 22 runs. Those seven walks certainly didn’t help, either. The pitching group was lucky that the Nittany Lions’ bats produced enough runs to keep the team in the game until the ninth inning.
• Quite simply, ouch. Just as soon as the Nittany Lions showed any signs of a comeback in the second game, they allowed eight runs in the ninth inning. It wasn’t fun for Penn State fans to watch, and frankly, it probably wasn’t either for Indiana fans at a certain point.

What’s Next

Penn State faces Bucknell at home for the third rendition of Dollar Dog Night at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.