Penn State baseball (5-14, 1-3 Big Ten) dropped the series opener to Purdue (14-6, 4-3 Big Ten) on Friday afternoon in West Lafayette, Indiana, 12-7.

Purdue jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the third, and Penn State was never able to get closer than four runs for the rest of the game, even after a four-run seventh inning.

How It Happened

Cole Van Assen got the start for Purdue and quickly got into trouble, allowing a pair of singles to Cohl Mercado and Spencer Barnett, but a strong throw from catcher Jackson Bessette cut down on Barnett on an attempted double steal that sniffed out the threat.

Colin Fitzgerald got the start for the Nittany Lions, his sixth of the season, and rolled through the first two innings, picking up four strikeouts and facing the minimum six batters.

Jack Porter doubled in the second, but Penn State’s offense was coming up empty as Van Assen settled in with a 1-2-3 third. The wheels began to come off in the bottom of the third for Fitzgerald, starting with a Jayden Davis error, a single, and a double steal to put two in scoring position with one out.

Ali Banks chopped an RBI single through the left side to open the scoring before stealing second to set up a two-run single by Eli Anderson. Now trailing 3-0, Fitzgerald couldn’t stop the bleeding, surrendering a two-run home run to Aaron Manias to put the Nittany Lions in a 5-0 hole after three innings.

The offense got a run back in the fourth, but missed an opportunity for more. Barnett walked, and both Porter and Avery Smith were plunked to load the bases with two out. Jesse Jaconski beat out an infield single to score a run, but Preston Yaucher grounded into a forceout to end the threat.

Dylan Drake doubled with one out in the bottom of the fourth to immediately put more pressure on Fitzgerald. Brandon Rogers then cued a grounder up the middle that could’ve been the third out, but Yaucher and Davis collided going for the ball, allowing Drake to score from second on a ball that never left the infield to make it 6-1 Purdue.

Mercado led off the fifth with his first home run of the season to get the run back, cutting the deficit to 6-2. Davis singled later in the inning, but was stranded.

The onslaught of the Boilermaker offense continued in the bottom half after a dropped fly ball from Jaconski opened the doors for three consecutive hits to make it 8-2 before an RBI groundout by Drake made it 9-2, with Fitzgerald forced to grit through it.

Despite holding a seven-run lead, Purdue made the first pitching change, going to Thomas Howard for the sixth. Porter led off with a single, but was erased on a 6-4-3 double play. Frankie Sanchez finally relieved Fitzgerald after five tough innings and got the first two outs, but got stuck in a bases-loaded jam after a pair of singles and a walk. Needing to get out of the jam to stay out of mercy rule territory, he induced a CJ Richmond flyout to end the inning.

Michael Anderson blasted his ninth home run of the season off of Howard in the seventh, cutting the deficit to six. Purdue’s offense immediately punched back, as Drake hit an RBI triple after the seventh-inning stretch and scored on a fielder’s choice to make it 11-3 Boilermakers.

Anderson hammers this one off the board! His 9th of the year!

T7 | PSU 3, PUR 9#WeAre pic.twitter.com/y1BjbwS17a

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) March 20, 2026

Noah Filer started the eighth for Purdue, and we saw signs of life for the Nittany Lions. Davis walked and Bryce Molinaro singled to open the inning, and after two quick outs, Justin Turcovski worked a walk, Yaucher was plunked to force in a run, and Mercado started the merry-go-round with a three-run double down the right field line to cut the deficit to 11-7.

Mercado clears the bases with a double to right!

T8 | PSU 7, PUR 11#WeAre pic.twitter.com/xDsYw6OZLl

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) March 20, 2026

Jackson Greer was forced to finish the eighth for Purdue, which he did by inducing an inning-ending flyout from Anderson. Robert Brown III was able to mop up the last three outs in the eighth, but not before giving up a solo home run to Aaron Manias.

Jacob Boland got the final three outs for the Boilermakers, pitching around a walk and a single to shut the door on the series opener.

Takeaways

• Colin Fitzgerald allowed nine runs in five innings, but only three were earned. As has been the case with several of their losses, the Nittany Lions committed three untimely errors to power Purdue’s offense.
• Another 12 runs allowed for Penn State. They’ve allowed at least 12 runs eight times this season.
• Cohl Mercado struggled in the first few weeks of the season, but Penn State’s center fielder has been heating up and was tremendous today. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and four RBIs.
• Michael Anderson tracker: He now has nine home runs in 19 games. Remember, no Nittany Lion has ever hit 20 in a season.
• Preston Yaucher and Jayden Davis finished out the game after a scary collision in the third.

Up Next

Penn State continues the weekend three-game series in West Lafayette against Purdue at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.