Penn State baseball (22-11, 10-7 Big Ten) was defeated by USC (22-12, 10-7 Big Ten) 6-3 on Saturday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

After a 3-1 win Friday afternoon, the Nittany Lions couldn’t seal the deal in the second game against the Trojans. Two runs each for USC in the fourth and fifth innings were the difference makers.

How It Happened

The Trojans opened their base running with a single from Ethan Hedges. With a single into right field from Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, Hedges advanced to second. However, Penn State remained strong and closed out the top of the inning. On offense, the Nittany Lions went one, two, three in the bottom of the first as both teams switched sides.

Penn State’s defense stepped up big in the top of the second. After two straight outs, Bryce Molinaro made a diving save at third base, then made a perfect throw to get Kade Higgins out at first base. Still, Penn State’s offense didn’t do much in the bottom of the inning.

Richard Tejeda opened the base running for USC with a single to start the third inning. USC began to gain momentum after batter Hedges was walked, putting runners on first and second with only one out. USC then scored the first run of the game with a Martin-Grudzielanek single, which brought Tejeda in and advanced Hedges to third. After the run was scored, the Nittany Lions put a quick end to USC’s momentum with a double play to end the top of the inning. Penn State’s bats were still quiet in the bottom of the third

Abbrie Covarrubias opened the fourth inning with a lead-off double deep into right center. With an RBI single from Augie Lopez, Covarrubias scored, allowing USC to take a 2-0 lead. USC then started to pull away, scoring another run to take a 3-0 lead with an RBI single from Brayden Dowd. After the two sides switched, Ryan Weingartner was walked to become the first base runner for the Nittany Lions in the fourth. Weingartner was thrown out at second on a Paxton Kling single, however, Kling reached first. However, Kling was left stranded on base as the Nittany Lions trailed through four.

With the score still 3-0 in favor of the Trojans, Martin-Grudzielanek hit a lead-off single into left field. Andrew Lamb then hit a deep double into right field, advancing Martin-Grudzielanek to third. Covarrubias was then walked, allowing USC to load the bases with no outs.

Penn State then elected for a pitching change from Mason Horwat to Matthew VanOstenbridge. VanOstenbridge struck out his first batter but walked his next, allowing Martin-Grudzielanek to score. Higgins then hit an RBI sacrifice fly ball into left field, bringing USC up to a five-run lead. With VanOstenbridge’s second strikeout, the Nittany Lions stopped the damage of the fifth inning.

Needing momentum, Penn State earned its first base hit of the game with a Jesse Jaconski single. Penn State’s momentum continued after a double by Joey DeMucci that brought Jaconski to third. A wild pitch allowed Jaconski to score the first run of the game for the Nittany Lions, as DeMucci advanced to third. After Mike Lucarelli was walked, Weingartner hit an RBI single that brought in DeMucci. The inning closed out soon after, with the score 5-2 in favor of USC.

The Nittany Lions opened strong defensively in the top of the sixth, forcing USC to go one, two, and three. Unfortunately, Penn State also went one two three as the sixth inning closed out, USC still up 5-2.

Lamb was the first base runner for USC in the seventh with a bunt. With a double deep into right field from Adrian Lopez, Lamb then advanced to third. Dean Carpentier then hit an RBI single that allowed Lamb to score USC’s sixth run of the game. The Nittany Lions closed out the inning soon after. Joey DeMucci was the first base runner for Penn State in the seventh after being hit by a pitch. Unfortunately, the inning closed out soon after, still 6-2 in favor of the Trojans.

Penn State elected for a pitching change to Harrison Lollin in the eighth. The Trojans went one, two, and three after two straight Lollin strikeouts to close out the top of the inning. Kling then hit a triple into right field, giving momentum back to the Nittany Lions. Kling then scored after a wild pitch, with the score still 6-3 in favor of the Trojans. The inning closed out soon after.

Covarrubias was called out after running into his own bunted ball in the top of the ninth. Adrian Lopez earned the first hit of the ninth inning for USC with a triple. However, the inning closed out soon after. Penn State’s bats were still quiet in the bottom of the inning, forcing a rubber match on Sunday.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions struggled on defense in the fifth inning. From loading the bases with no outs, they were able to end the inning, but not before allowing two runs.
• USC did a good job of tiring out Penn State’s pitchers, forcing the Nittany Lions to throw 35 more pitches on the day.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will close out this home series at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 13. The game can be streamed on BTN+.