Penn State baseball (17-10, 6-6 Big Ten) lost its series against Michigan (15-12, 7-5 Big Ten) 2-1 this weekend.

Penn State looked strong on both sides of the ball in game one but pitching cost them in game two. An offensive stalemate and a pitching mishap defined game three, causing the Nittany Lions to lose the series.

Game One

After Penn State went down in order in the top of the first, starter Ryan DeSanto immediately ran into trouble. Benny Casillas singled but was out at second after a fielder’s choice from Mitch Voit. Colby Turner doubled, and DeSanto hit Cole Caruso with a pitch to set up a bases-loaded opportunity. Jeter Ybarra took advantage, and his single scored two runs.

After a double play ended Michigan’s threat, Penn State followed up in the second inning. Bryce Molinaro reached on a throwing error and Cole Wagner doubled, allowing Jesse Jaconski to earn two RBIs on a double. Cohl Mercado singled and scored Jaconski, and Ryan Weingartner struck out to end the inning. Despite two walks in the bottom of the second, Michigan did not score.

Things remained calm for both teams in the third inning, with the Nittany Lions having the only hit. Wagner led off the fourth inning and sent a solo home run to right field to give Penn State a 4-2 lead. After another calm bottom of the inning for Michigan, Weingartner led off the fifth inning with a solo home run.

In the sixth inning, Penn State took advantage of the Michigan pitching change. Josh Kasner came in to pitch for David Lally Jr. and immediately loaded the bases after allowing a single from Wagner, and walking Jaconski and Mercado. Weingartner doubled and scored two, Paxton Kling had a sacrifice fly, and Molinaro hit a three-run home run. By the end of the inning, Penn State led by a score of 11-2.

Michigan attempted to come back in the bottom of the sixth, starting with singles from Turner and Ybarra. DeSanto hit Robert Hamchuk with a pitch to load the bases, and Joe Longo doubled and scored three runs.

After a scoreless seventh, Penn State scored its final run after Jack Porter drew a bases-loaded walk. Michigan had scoreless eighth and ninth innings, and Penn State won the first game of the series 12-5.

Game Two

After the game was delayed by 30 minutes, Penn State was unable to take advantage of two hits in the first inning, turning the opportunity over to Michigan. Casillas led off the inning with a double and scored off of a Brayden Jefferis single.

The Nittany Lions fought back in the second. Wagner walked, Jaconski reached on a fielding error, and Matt Maloney singled to score a run. After Mercado reached on a fielder’s choice and Weingartner walked, King had a sacrifice fly to score Maloney.

After a scoreless bottom of the second and top of the third, Michigan scored three runs off of starter Mason Horwat to regain the lead. With a runner on second, Voit doubled, and Ybarra hit a two-run home run.

In the fifth inning, the Nittany Lions once again fought back. After Michigan starter Dylan Vigue allowed two walks, the Wolverines chose to go to pitcher Tate Carey to limit the damage. Carey entered and walked Bryce Molinaro, and Porter singled to score a run. After another pitching change, Wager doubled to score three runs and cut the lead to only two runs.

Penn State scored another run in the seventh inning on a Jaconski sacrifice fly, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Michigan. The Wolverines took the second game by a score of 8-7.

Game Three

With the series win on the line, Penn State came out swinging. After Molinaro reached on a throwing error and an unearned run scored, Porter doubled to score Molinaro. While Michigan had two runners reach the bottom of the first, they were unable to score.

After a scoreless second inning, both teams had a very eventful third inning. Weingartner led off the inning with a double and scored after Kling reached on a fielding error. After two quick outs, Porter singled to score Kling, then stole second base. Wagner tripled to score a run, setting the Nittany Lions up with a five-run lead.

However, Michigan tied the game in the bottom of the third, starting with a solo home run from Greg Pace Jr. Casillas singled, and Jefferis walked before Penn State starter Logan Olson was pulled for Harrison Lollin. While Lollin was able to enter and strike out Voit, Turner doubled and two runs scored. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Turner scored on a groundout from Ybarra, and the inning ended with a Caruso home run.

After the third inning, both Penn State and Michigan went through an offensive stalemate. After three scoreless innings, Michigan scored in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Jonathan Kim to score Caruso. Penn State went down in order in the ninth inning to end the game, and secured Michigan’s win by a score of 6-5.

Takeaways

• The offense clicked in game one, scoring 12 runs in a power display.
• Pitching struggled throughout the entire series, costing them wins in games two and three
• While the offense is special, they weren’t given the chance to showcase their talents much this weekend. A lapse in scoring in games two and three proved to be costly.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return home to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Tuesday, April 1, to take on Bucknell for Dollar Dog Night. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.