Penn State baseball (10-22, 4-10 Big Ten) came up short in a late comeback effort against Ohio State (18-15, 8-6 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, losing 3-2.

Ohio State once again jumped out to an early two-run lead, but Penn State stayed in the game thanks to strong pitching. A ninth-inning rally came up just a bit short with the heart of the Nittany Lions’ order stranded the tying run on third base.

How It Happened

Ohio State’s Chris Domke got the start for the Buckeyes in this one. He pitched around a two-out single by Bryce Molinaro to start the day off strong with a zero.

Ben Hudson got the start for Penn State and immediately got into trouble with two walks and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with nobody out. In a situation where things could’ve completely gone haywire early, he held Ohio State to one run on a Dane Harvey sacrifice fly.

Penn State got a baserunner early in both the second and third innings on a Jack Porter single and a Jayden Davis walk, but Domke stranded the runners both times. After a 1-2-3 second from Hudson, he gave up a second run on an RBI double by Noah Furcht before stranding a pair of runners.

The Nittany Lions put two runners on for the first time in the fourth on a hit-by-pitch and Avery Smith single, but once again couldn’t get them in. Hudson tossed a 1-2-3 bottom half.

Davis singled with one out in the fifth for Penn State, but Michael Anderson hit into a double play. Hudson walked a batter with one out and was removed after getting a flyout from Furcht, ending his day with 4.2 solid innings of two-run ball. Mason Butash came on to get the last out of the fifth, but didn’t have to do much. Smith gunned down Henry Kaczmar’s attempt to steal second to end the inning.

Smith says no! He throws out the runner to end the 5th!

E5 | PSU 0, OSU 2#WeAre pic.twitter.com/tZtFNgDGUq

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) April 11, 2026

The big opportunity for Penn State’s offense came in the sixth. Molinaro walked, Spencer Barnett singled, and Porter got the Nittany Lions on the board with a sacrifice fly. Dowke got to two outs in the inning, but a single by Smith and a bunt single by Maddox McDonald loaded the bases, forcing a pitching change. Nick Sawyer came out of the bullpen and struck out Preston Yaucher to end the threat, but the Nittany Lions cut their deficit in half.

Porter lifts a sac fly to left to bring in Molinaro!

T6 | PSU 1, OSU 2#WeAre pic.twitter.com/qR21fRL7gk

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) April 11, 2026

Butash got through the bottom of the sixth, pitching around a one-out single by Maddix Simpson. Saywer stayed out for the seventh to sit down the Nittany Lions 1-2-3, while Butash did the same in the bottom half.

Karstetter singled with two outs in the eighth to put the tying run on base for Penn State, but Ryan Zamora put up a crucial zero, striking out Smith to end the frame. Butash finally got in trouble in the bottom half, walking two and allowing a single before being pulled for Ben DeMell. Simpson skied the game’s third sacrifice fly to center to make it 3-1, but DeMell stranded the bases loaded to keep the game in reach.

Justin Turcovski pinch hit to lead off the ninth and got thrown out at first on a bang-bang play. Yaucher worked a walk to get the tying run to the plate, and Davis lined an RBI double to left field to cut the deficit to one.

Davis rips a double to left-center to bring in Yaucher!

T9 | PSU 2, OSU 3#WeAre pic.twitter.com/7ECUAZVO8q

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) April 11, 2026

Penn State got a chance with its two best sluggers at the plate, but Anderson grounded out and Molinaro struck out in a seven-pitch battle against Zamora to end the game with the tying run on third.

Takeaways

• A day after the offense was incredibly opportunistic to lift Penn State to a massive comeback victory, ot left 10 runners on base on Saturday and wasn’t able to pick up the pitching.
• It was another strong day for the pitching staff, something that didn’t seem possible when Ben Hudson was in a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the first. After he settled down to get through 4.2 innings, Mason Butash and Ben DeMell did their jobs to keep the game in striking distance the rest of the way.
• Penn State is still looking for its first Big Ten series win of the season. The Nittany Lions went 1-2 in each of the first three series before being swept last weekend by Nebraska. They’ve come close, but that doesn’t matter in the standings.

What’s Next?

Penn State will look to take the series in the rubber game of the three-game set in Columbus, Ohio, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 12. The game will be broadcast on BTN+.