Penn State baseball (12-29, 5-16 Big Ten) got shut out and swept by No. 19 Oregon (32-11, 15-6 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon’s getaway game in Eugene, Oregon, by a score of 5-0.

The Nittany Lions threatened to score on a few occasions — none better than their final chance — but ultimately were held run-less during the three-hour match. Isaiah Shayter threw three solid innings, but the Ducks’ bats finally caught up to him, and the Penn State bats couldn’t keep up.

How It Happened

Penn State deployed its right-handed heavy lineup against Oregon’s southpaw starter, and it worked early in the first. Jayden Davis poked a single into right field, and Michael Anderson knocked a single past the diving shortstop. But the lefty, Miles Gosztola, struck out the next two Nittany Lions and produced a groundout to escape the jam.

Shayter’s first frame was an inverse of Gosztola’s; he produced two outs on quick groundballs, but the Ducks put foot traffic on the basepaths with a walk and a bunt single. Shayter shut down the two-out rally, striking out Angel Laya for the final out of the first.

One Nittany Lion, Maddox McDonald, reached base in the second but was caught stealing second base with two outs, ending the top of the frame.

For the Ducks, Burke-Lee Mabeus was 90 feet away from scoring the first run after he doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. However, Shayter bared down and picked up a pair of strikeouts with his curveball for a scoreless second.

Both pitchers faced the minimum in the third, needing fewer than 10 pitches each to keep it even at zero.

Molinaro battled in a long at-bat for a walk, but Gosztola threw only five pitches to get three outs in the fourth.

Shayter’s fourth wasn’t nearly as smooth.

Drew Smith ripped a first-pitch home run over the bullpen in left field to kick off the scoring. Laya followed it up, serving a single passed the shift, and Maddox Molony took a four-pitch free pass to first base. Mabeus scored Laya with a one-hop to the wall double, and the No. 19 Ducks had finally picked up momentum.

Naulivou Lauaki brought Oregon’s third run in with a deep fly out to right, and Kyle Emmons had to clean the inning up out of the bullpen.

Gosztola carried the momentum over into the fifth, striking out McDonald and Preston Yaucher on his way to a clean inning.

The Ducks added to their lead against Emmons with a two-out single off the bat of Laya, who picked up his second hit and first RBI of the afternoon. Laya scored Smith from second, following Smith’s torched double into the right field corner.

At 66 pitches through five innings, Gosztola took the mound in the sixth. Davis worked an eight-pitch walk, but Anderson made up for the lost efficiency for Gosztola by grounding into a double-play on the second pitch he saw.

The home plate umpire gave Gosztola another pitch back by ringing up Molinaro in a 2-1 count. Head coach Mike Gambino came out to argue because there was only one strike in the count, but the call stood, and Gambino was ejected from the game.

Mabeus scored his second run of the game with a lead-off solo home run that nearly cleared the warehouse sitting by the right field corner. Emmons produced two outs, but walked Jack Brooks, and Mason Horwat relieved him. Horwat surrendered a harmless single through the left side, then picked up a strikeout to end the sixth.

Trouble ensued for the first time in a few innings for Oregon. Jack Porter reached on a drop-third-strike, and Kevin Karstetter reached on a walk. Gosztola was relieved by G Howard, and he almost immediately got out of the inning with a double-play, but instead got consecutive ground balls to clean up the top of the seventh with a 5-0 lead.

Davis picked up another knock in the eighth and moved into scoring position for the Big Ten’s leader in home runs and OPS, but Anderson struck out swinging. Molinaro ended the top half of the eighth with a groundout to first.

The Nittany Lions finally posted a clean inning, and it was Dimon Loosli who made it possible. Loosli relieved Horwat and retired two Ducks by way of the “K.”

In its final chance to wipe the zero off the scoreboard, Penn State succeeded. Porter was plunked to conclude an 11-pitch at-bat, and went first to third on Karstetter’s single.

Pinch-hitter Avery Smith loaded the bases with an eight-pitch walk, but Yaucher ended the weekend series with a fly-out to right field.

Takeaways

• After a long weekend of tight losses and questionable calls, Gambino had had enough. When Molinaro was struck out despite only having two strikes thrown in his at-bat, Gambino deliberated with the umpire crew for nearly ten minutes, and was ejected after the call stood.
• Anderson was awfully quiet this weekend, though he picked up a hit in Sunday’s affair. The Penn State offense sputters without his bat producing, and it seemed Oregon had a pitching plan for him all weekend long, which helped hold the Nittany Lions to eight runs over three games.
• Penn State hung around with Oregon for almost the entire weekend, including the first three innings of Sunday, but once the Ducks put three runs on the board, the Nittany Lions continuously deflated.
• Only four Penn Staters recorded hits, including a two-hit afternoon for Jayden Davis. The meat of the lineup — Anderson, Molinaro, Barnett, and Porter — went a combined 1-14 with a single and six strikeouts.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return home for their fifth and final Dollar Dog Night and their third and final scheduled match against West Virginia on Wednesday, April 29th, at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.