Penn State baseball (23-13 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) decimated Ohio State (20-20 overall, 3-12 Big Ten) 15-3 Sunday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The Nittany Lions scored a whopping ten runs on the Buckeyes in the fourth inning, essentially putting the game out of reach. Strong pitching kept Ohio State from scoring past the third inning, and Penn State completed the series sweep with a dominant 15-3 victory.

How It Happened

Trey Lipsey led off the top of the third inning with a triple for Ohio State. Daniel Ouderkirk, who had struggled with his control throughout the first three innings, threw a wild pitch which gave Lipsey a golden opportunity to score. He crossed home plate with ease, giving the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead.

Ouderkirk walked the next two batters. They simultaneously stole second and third bases, which made life even more difficult for the Nittany Lions. Ohio State’s lead became 2-0 when Kade Kern scored on another wild pitch.

Rob Cooper replaced Ouderkirk with Jordan Morales after he walked his third batter of the inning. Jay Harry didn’t throw Henry Kaczmar’s grounder to first base in time, which scored Marcus Ernst to make it 3-0.

Ohio State’s starting pitcher, Jonah Jenkins, did not allow a hit in the first two innings, but Josh Spiegel’s single to start the bottom of the third inning ended that streak. Then, Kyle Hannon ripped a triple into the right field corner. Spiegel scored, getting the Nittany Lions on the board 3-1. Thomas Bramley then sent an RBI single over second baseman Josh McAlister’s head, scoring Hannon to make it 3-2.

Jenkins began to tire even more in the fourth inning. First, he loaded the bases without Penn State getting a single hit. Then, he hit Spiegel with a pitch to score Johnny Piacentino, tying the game 3-3.

Walking in Piacentino ended Jenkins’ outing, as he was replaced with Justin Eckhardt. Eckhardt inherited a bases-loaded, no-outs inning, and immediately walked in Bobby Marsh to give Penn State a 4-3 lead.

Then, an error by Kaczmar at shortstop scored two more runs, expanding the Nittany Lions’ lead to 6-3. However, the scoring extravaganza without a single Penn State hit continued. In an unusual turn of events, a wild pitch scored both Tayven Kelley and Billy Gerlott to make it 8-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Five runs after he entered the game, Eckhardt was done after zero innings, zero outs recorded, and, remarkably, zero hits allowed.

Landon Beidelschies replaced Eckhardt, and things didn’t go much better. To start, a throwing error by McAlister allowed Hannon to score, making it 9-3.

Then, Marsh smacked a three-run homer to make it 12-3. Amazingly, all of this happened in just the bottom of the fourth inning.

With ten runs, three errors, and two hits later, the bottom of the fourth inning finally concluded with Penn State having a commanding 12-3 lead.

Penn State got on the board again in the fifth inning. A sacrifice fly by Hannon scored Kelly, making it 13-3. That lead became 14-3 when Piacentino’s single scored Bramley.

The Nittany Lions scored another run in the sixth, with a single from Bramley that scored Gerlott to make it 15-3.

Meanwhile, Penn State’s pitching staff continued to pitch well. Morales and Ryan Partridge combined for three scoreless innings in the fourth, fifth, and sixth. Steven Miller came into the game to pitch the top of the seventh inning, and, despite loading the bases, he got out of the inning.

The strong pitching continued into the ninth inning, as Anthony Steele closed out the Buckeyes to give Penn State a 15-3 win, completing the three-game series sweep.

Takeaways:

• Penn State’s discipline at the plate showed up in a big way, as only two hits were allowed in the ten-run bottom of the fourth inning. It’s no secret that the Nittany Lions’ patience paid off today, as their .396 on-base percentage ranks third in the Big Ten.
• Bobby Marsh had another impressive game, with a massive three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning and being the source of another run in the same inning. The freshman has been a spark for Penn State’s offense, as he is currently hitting .337 with three home runs this season.
• Penn State’s pitching staff didn’t allow a run after the third inning. Although its 5.02 ERA ranks eighth in the Big Ten, today’s showing is a promising sign as the team looks to improve its conference record.

What’s Next?

Penn State takes the country roads to West Virginia for a 6:30 p.m. start time on Tuesday, April 25 in Morgantown.