Penn State baseball (3-6, 0-0 Big Ten) staved off a weekend sweep by Indiana State (6-6, 0-0 MVC) in a three-game set in the Bahamas over the weekend, coming back to win 9-8 in extra innings on Sunday after dropping heartbreakers on Friday and Saturday.

The Nittany Lions were in all three games and repeatedly knocked on the door, but fell short in two games. Untimely errors, offensive droughts, and stranded runners in scoring position did Mike Gambino’s squad in the entire weekend.

How It Happened

Game One

Colin Fitzgerald took the ball for Friday’s series opener and got into quick trouble in the first, giving up singles to Andrew Ortiz and Emil Estrella before a wild pitch made it second and third with nobody out. Fitzgerald wouldn’t allow another hit, but would surrender a run on a Nick Sutherlin sacrifice fly. He ended the top of the first with a pickoff of Estrella at third.

Indiana State’s Grant Parson took the bump in the bottom half and didn’t hold the lead long, plunking Michael Anderson with one out before surrendering a game-tying RBI double to Bryce Molinaro and a go-ahead RBI double to Jayden Davis. After a Jack Porter flyout, Davis scampered all the way home from second base on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 Nittany Lions.

Fitzgerald settled down in the second, notching his first strikeout in a 1-2-3 inning. Penn State loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half on a walk and two hit batsmen, but Molinaro and Davis stranded the runners against new pitcher Jack Armstrong.

Fitzgerald struck out a pair in the third in another 1-2-3 frame. Armstrong worked around a one-out walk to retire the Nittany Lions in the bottom half.

Indiana State’s offense came back to life in the fourth, starting it with a one-out walk and a pair of singles to generate a run on a Caden Miller RBI single. Fitzgerald got his fifth strikeout, but was unable to get out of the inning with the lead, allowing a two-run double to Jeremy Martinez to make it 4-3 Sycamores.

Armstrong continued to deal for Indiana State, putting up 1-2-3 innings in both the fourth and fifth innings. Fitzgerald settled back in for Penn State, striking out two and getting through the fifth.

Nick Sutherlin doubled with one out in the sixth for Indiana State, but Fitzgerald notched his ninth and 10th strikeouts to get out of trouble. Spencer Barnett walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth for the Nittany Lions, but he was stranded by Armstrong, who was electric, posting 4.1 no-hit innings of relief with seven strikeouts.

Kyle Emmons came on for the Nittany Lions and worked around a one-out single by inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the seventh.

Armstrong was finally pulled after walking Cohl Mercado right out of the seventh-inning stretch. Penn State got its best opportunity since the first inning when Anderson was plunked and new pitcher Ryan Karst fell behind Molinaro 3-0, but he rallied back to induce a flyout and retired the next two hitters to get out of the jam.

Emmons and Karst exchanged 1-2-3 innings in the eighth. Dimond Loosli took the bump in the ninth for the Nittany Lions and got into trouble, loading the bases with one out. Loosli struck out Caleb Niehaus and induced a ground ball to Davis, but the Penn State second baseman threw it wide of Jesse Jaconski for a critical two-run error that made it 6-3 Indiana State.

The Sycamores capitalized on the error with a two-run single by Andrew Ortiz to make it 8-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Penn State got two runs back on a home run by Anderson, his second of the season, but the Nittany Lions took a brutal 8-5 loss in the opener.

Game Two

Ty Brooks got the start for Indiana State, while Penn State sent out Ben Hudson for his third start of the year. Both starters worked efficiently in the first, with a Molinaro hit by pitch being the only baserunner for either team.

Barnett got the game’s first hit in the second, but was stranded at second base. Hudson retired the first eight batters he faced until surrendering a two-out single to Sebastian Torres in the third.

After Porter grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the fourth, the Sycamores struck first in the bottom half on a Miller RBI single. Hudson was able to rebound, stranding a pair of runners after, but Indiana State led 1-0.

Penn State needed just one pitch to answer back in the fifth, though, as Barnett crushed his third home run of the season to left field to tie the game. Hudson sat down the Sycamores 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts in the home half.

The two teams both stranded runners in the sixth, with Hudson striking out Miller after a Sutherlin single and stolen base to keep the game tied into the final three innings.

Indiana State continued to get closer and closer to a go-ahead run in the seventh, but stranded a runner in scoring position when Hudson struck out Torres for his seventh and final strikeout. The Penn State offense continued to be flummoxed, getting their first runner in scoring position in five innings in the seventh, but stranding him.

Brooks finished off seven strong innings for the Sycamores and handed it off to Colby Morse, who allowed a leadoff single to Avery Smith before sitting down the Nittany Lions 1-2-3 after. The dam finally broke in the bottom half, as Hudson was pulled after a two-out double and Ben DeMell gave up a go-ahead RBI double to Sutherlin in the bottom of the eighth.

Penn State opened the ninth with walks by Molinaro and Davis, chasing Morse for Justin Hoff. Unfortunately, the new reliever immediately induced a 6-4-3 double play out of Porter and retired Kevin Karstetter to end the game. Hudson takes the loss despite 7.2 strong innings.

Game Three

Freshman Isaiah Shayter took the bump for the Nittany Lions for Sunday’s series finale and worked around a two-out walk to put up a quick zero. Mercado led off the bottom half with a walk and a stolen base against Owen Roberts, but was stranded on second base.

Shayter sat down the Sycamores in order in the second, while Penn State once again had traffic on the bases after a hit batter and one-out single, but they once again stranded the runners.

Indiana State struck first in the third, getting Shayter in trouble and striking with an Estrella RBI double, Carter Beck sacrifice fly, Miller RBI single, and Mason Roell RBI single. The Roell single knocked the freshman out of the game after just 2.2 innings, with Mason Horwat having to get the last out.

Anderson crushed his second home run of the series to get a run back for the Nittany Lions, but it was still 4-1 after three innings.

Horwat struck out a pair in the fourth and the Penn State offense went back to work. The Nittany Lions got some help from some brutal Indiana State defense, committing a pair of errors that resulted in a Preston Yaucher infield single that drove in a run. Still, with the bases loaded and an opportunity to get right back in the game, new pitcher Spencer Johnsen induced an inning-ending groundout.

Horwat came back on for the fifth and immediately got into trouble with back-to-back singles and a wild pitch that brought in another run. The Sycamores opened up a 6-2 lead on a Miller RBI double that ended Horwat’s day. Emmons came on for his second appearance of the series and retired the last two batters.

Finally, Penn State’s bats would fully heat up in the bottom half. Molinaro crushed his first home run of the season just three pitches into the inning, Davis singled, and Porter lined an RBI double to cut the deficit to two. Jesse Jaconski flied a sacrifice fly to right field to cut it to 6-5, forcing a pitching change. Indiana State’s Jacob Spencer got out of the inning.

Emmons worked around a two-out double in the sixth to retire the side, but Spencer was just as sharp in the bottom half to quell Penn State’s offense. Ben DeMell came on in the seventh and gave up a back-breaking inside-the-park home run to Roell to make it 8-5 Indiana State.

Davis got a run back after the seventh-inning stretch with his first home run as a Nittany Lion to cut it to 8-6. Porter was plunked, Karstetter singled, and Jaconski singled after. Suddenly, Penn State had the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. Hoff came on for the Sycamores in an impossible situation and pulled out his best Houdini impression, managing to strand the bases loaded by retiring three in a row, shutting down a golden opportunity for the Nittany Lions.

DeMell flirted with trouble again in the eighth, allowing a leadoff single and committing an error. A sacrifice bunt put two in scoring position with one out, but DeMell gritted his teeth and induced a pair of groundouts to get out of trouble.

Penn State once again threatened to even the score in the bottom half, putting two on base with nobody out. A pair of flyouts from Davis and Molinaro generated a run and cut the deficit to one, but they again stranded the tying run in scoring position.

In an interesting move, Gambino went to designated hitter Michael Anderson to pitch the ninth, who has previously pitched at Rhode Island in 2023, but not much since. Anderson plunked a batter and walked Ray Jesse with two out, and was removed for Matthew VanOstenbridge. The sophomore struck out Niehaus to end the frame.

Karstetter led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and got to third on a groundout, putting the tying run on third with one out. Turcovski struck out, putting the Nittany Lions’ backs against the wall, but Yaucher lined a clutch RBI single up the middle to tie the game at eight and force extras. A defining moment for the freshman.

VanOstenbridge set the Sycamores down in order in the 10th, and Penn State managed to load the bases in the bottom half, but once again failed to capitalize. Frankie Sanchez got the ball in the 11th and walked a pair around a double play. Molinaro committed a critical error with two outs, but some poor baserunning by the Sycamores ended the inning without a run.

Hunter Small took the ball in the bottom of the 11th for Indiana State and gave up a leadoff double to Jaconski and a bunt single to Joey DeMucci. An intentional walk loaded the bases for Mercado, who bounced one to short and drove in the winning run on a walk-off E6.

Takeaways

• Colin Fitzgerald got the losing decision on Friday, but he was very sharp aside from the decisive fourth inning. Mike Gambino came into this year planning for the Maine transfer to fill the vacancy that Ryan DeSanto left as the team’s Friday starter, and he’s shown the tantalizing upside, tying his career high with 10 strikeouts.
• Ben Hudson, who transferred from West Virginia, was sharp on Saturday and now has a 2.16 ERA through his first three starts at Penn State.
• The biggest offensive trend for the Nittany Lions? They struggled considerably with runners in scoring position, going 5-for-34 on the weekend. In a series where they lost the first two games by a combined four runs, that was the difference.
• Aside from a truly ridiculous blowout defeat in the opening week against Kansas State, Penn State has been a clutch hit or a shutdown inning away from victory in its other five losses. There’s reason to be optimistic as the non-conference slate rolls on.

Up Next

Penn State baseball heads home for its home opener at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park against St. John’s at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3. Broadcast information is to be determined.