Penn State baseball (5-12, 1-1 Big Ten) lost 13-4 to Iowa (12-6, 1-1 Big Ten) during the second game of a three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Penn State’s pitching struggled mightily throughout the entire game, and the offense was never able to catch up after Iowa’s four-run fifth inning.

How It Happened

Penn State starter Ben Hudson immediately ran into trouble in the top of the first inning, allowing a leadoff triple to Gable Mitchell. Miles Risley hit a ball to deep right field, allowing Mitchell to score and get the Hawkeyes on the board. Iowa followed up with two singles, but couldn’t get any more runners to home plate. In the bottom of the first, the Nittany Lions only had one runner on base due to a hit by pitch.

In the top of the second, Hudson got two quick outs before Iowa catcher Max Burt walked, and Ben Swails hit an RBI double to put the Hawkeyes up by two. In the bottom of the second, Penn State went down in order.

In the top of the third inning, Iowa got another run on the board after a home run from Caleb Wulf. Then, Penn State once again went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

In the fourth, Hudson was able to contain Iowa, allowing two hits and no runs. In the bottom of the inning, Spencer Barnett doubled to right off of Iowa pitcher Logan Runde, and Bryce Molinaro followed with an RBI single to put the Nittany Lions on the board.

However, Iowa’s fifth inning was their biggest yet. Hudson got a quick out to lead off the inning, but Wulf singled, and Joey Nerat hit his ninth home run of the year. Kooper Schulte followed the homer with a single, and Brett White hit another two run home run to extend Iowa’s lead to 7-1. Ethan Bauerschmidt came in to replace Hudson, and got Burt to ground out to Molinaro to end the inning.

Iowa followed up their strong fifth inning, with two more runs in the sixth. After Bauerschmidt loaded the bases on two walks and a hit-by-pitch, the Hawkeyes got a run off of a double play. Later in the inning, Nerat hit an RBI double to left center, putting Iowa up 9-1. Penn State got a run back on a ground out in the bottom of the sixth, making the score 9-2.

In the top of the seventh inning, Iowa plated another runner after a fielding error by Jesse Jaconski allowed Mitch Wood to reach, and Risley hit an RBI single. Jaconski was then the only Nittany Lion to reach base in the bottom of the seventh, when he reached on an error.

Penn State pitcher Robert Brown was able to keep Iowa scoreless in the top of the eighth, allowing only one hit in the process. In the bottom of the eighth, Maddox McDonald led off the inning with a walk, and Barnett followed with a walk. Molinaro loaded the bases with a walk, and then Jack Porter and Jaconski both had bases loaded walks to make the score 10-4.

Penn State pitcher Harrison Lollin struggled in the top of the ninth, allowing Iowa to score three runs. Lollin got two quick outs, but two singles, a double, and a walk allowed Iowa to take a nine-run lead. In the bottom of the ninth, the only Penn State action was a Michael Anderson walk. Barnett ended the game with a strikeout, solidifying Iowa’s win over Penn State, 13-4.

Takeaways

• Penn State pitching gave up 19 hits to Iowa over nine innings.
• Errors continue to be a costly issue for Penn State, with the team committing two more in this game.
• Penn State’s offense has struggled to be consistent so far this season, which was evident the last two games (10 runs on Friday, four on Saturday).
• Iowa may have scored 13 runs, but the team left many opportunities on base. The Hawkeyes ended the game with 13 runners left on base.

What’s Next?

Penn State will look to win the series as it hosts Iowa for the series finale tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.