Penn State baseball (6-15, 2-4 Big Ten) picked up a win in Sunday’s conference contest in West Lafayette, Indiana, against Purdue (15-7, 5-4 Big Ten) by a score of 14-9.

The Nittany Lions jumped out to a one-run lead despite not recording a hit in the first inning, thanks to small ball pioneered by lead-off hitter Cohl Mercado. They fell behind by two runs in the bottom half of the first, but exploded in the second, plating 11 runs. Bryce Molinaro started the hit parade with a triple, and Michael Anderson broke open the scoring a few batters later with a three-run home run.

Freshman and Sunday Starter Isaiah Shayter tossed a solid four innings with a comfortable lead from his teammates. Mason Butash bridged the gap that Mason Horwat was unable to, and the Nittany Lions only expended a few arms, which will prove to be important with the five-game week they have ahead.

How It Happened

Penn State opened the scoring in the first inning with uncharacteristic small ball. Mercado was given a free pass to first base after getting hit by a 2-2 pitch. He then advanced to second base via a passed ball. A pair of fly balls from Anderson and Jack Porter brought him in, capturing an early lead for the Nittany Lions.

It didn’t hold for long, however. Purdue’s leadoff batter reached in the same fashion as Mercado and advanced to third on a single through the 5-6 hole. With runners on the corners, Boilermaker third baseman Sam Flores launched Shayter’s two-strike breaking ball over right-center field to take a 3-1 lead.

Shayter walked the following batter, but generated a double-play to end the inning.

The Nittany Lions blew the game open in the second. Molinaro led off with a triple to center field, and the next two batters got a free pass, which loaded the bases for Joey DeMucci. The Penn State catcher sliced a triple over the shallow center fielder’s head, clearing the bases and regaining the lead.

With no outs and a runner on third, Purdue went to the bullpen. Maddox McDonald was the first to face the new arm, and he punched an RBI single past the diving shortstop to continue the scoring. Mercado then flared a single into center field, bringing up Anderson with two runners on.

Anderson wasted no time, jumping on the first fastball he saw and crushing it over the left field wall for his tenth home run of the season. After Porter singled through the shift, Purdue called in its third pitcher of the inning with no outs, but Graham Kollen did not provide a remedy.

Spencer Barnett sliced an opposite field double just over the jumping third baseman down the left field line and scored Porter. Molinaro, who tripled earlier in the inning, worked a full count and smashed a home run over the right-center wall.

The fourth Boilermaker of the inning toed the slab and immediately gave up an extra-base hit to Jayden Davis. Davis scored on a sac-fly by Kevin Karstetter, and Penn State finished the top of the second with a 12-3 lead.

It was the most runs Penn State had scored in an inning all season, and it was its first 10-run inning since April 2023.

Shayter came back out after sitting for nearly 30 minutes and allowed three consecutive singles. He was gifted an out by a wild pitch that bounced right back to DeMucci, who tagged a runner out at home. Shayter traded another out for a run, allowing an RBI groundout, and then produced an inning-ending fly-out.

The third frame was less exciting. Purdue pitcher Jacob Boland faced the minimum by getting Anderson to ground into two, and Shayter nearly did the same, garnering two strikeouts through the scoreless frame.

Penn State threatened again in the fourth by loading the bases for McDonald with two outs, but the left fielder struck out swinging. In the bottom half of the frame, Shayter hit the first two batters he faced, but got a few fly outs and stranded both runners.

Boland stretched his relief appearance into the fifth inning and put down three of the four Nittany Lions he faced in a dozen pitches. Shayter’s day ended after the fourth, and Mason Horwat had the fifth inning. The first two batters he faced drew a free pass, and a pair of hits plated two for Purdue.

Horwat’s day ended, and Mason Butash came in to clean up for him. He allowed one of Horwat’s runners to score, but produced consecutive fly-outs to end the fifth with a 12-7 lead.

Penn State’s bats cooled off since they hung a crooked number up in the second inning. Davis was their sole baserunner in the sixth, and Anderson in the seventh, but both were left on base.

Purdue’s bats were in the same boat until the eighth. The Boilermakers put two more on the board with three consecutive singles and a sac-fly, bringing their deficit to three. Penn State padded its lead with its final opportunity. McDonald and Mercado reached on errors, and both scored from a sac-fly and a double, bringing the score to 14-9.

Matthew VanOstenbridge closed the game out for Penn State with a strikeout and a pair of groundballs.

Takeaways

• Michael Anderson continued tearing up pitchers on Sunday. He jumped on a first-pitch fastball for a three-run home run that put Penn State at a comfortable distance. Anderson recorded his tenth home run, three RBIs, and two hits, raising his average to .329 on the year.
• Bryce Molinaro notched a three-hit day, including a triple and a home run in the same inning. Getting Molinaro’s bat in the right spot for conference play is important for Penn State if it’d like to turn the season around.
• Mason Butash provided a huge stretch of relief from Isaiah Shayter to Matthew VanOstenbridge. Butash tossed 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, facing 15 batters on 51 pitches and only allowing two runs. The reliever saved Mike Gambino from using any more arms than necessary at the start of a long week.

What’s Next?

Penn State baseball returns home for a six-game home stretch, which kicks off with the first Dollar Dog Night of the season against St. Bonaventure at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24. The game will be streamed on BTN+.