Penn State baseball (13-31, 6-18 Big Ten) won its annual Bark in the Park game at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, beating Minnesota (29-18, 10-14 Big Ten) 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions finally won a one-run game after dropping one to Minnesota on Saturday, and a pair of them to No. 19 Oregon the weekend before. Isaiah Shayter tossed his best outing of the season, going five innings and allowing a single run, but his day ended after a 30-pitch fifth inning. Small-ball helped Penn State put on a pair of runs, and the other two came off the bat of Jesse Jaconski’s 427-foot home run.

How It Happened

Shayter fired in a first-pitch brush-off fastball, and Sunday’s getaway game was underway. The right-hander provided his center fielder, Maddox McDonald, a busy first inning as all three outs were hit his way.

Jayden Davis kept the outfield busy, poking a leadoff double into the right-center alley. Michael Anderson reached on a walk, but the Gophers’ starting pitcher, Cole Selvig, bared down, striking out Bryce Molinaro and collecting a pair of pop-outs to end the inning.

The second frame started just as the first did, with a flyout to McDonald, who made his fourth consecutive putout. He caught the third out of the inning as well, but not before Minnesota tacked on its first hit with a flare into left field.

Selvig worked a quick second inning, needing only nine pitches to get through the lower half of the Nittany Lions’ lineup.

Yet another inning began with a flyout to McDonald, but Jack Mosh took away any chance for consecutive putouts by ripping a double off the glove of Kevin Karstetter. Shayter put an end to any threat, producing two weak flyouts to right field, and the top half wrapped up with no damage done.

Preston Yaucher kicked off the bottom half with a dribbler down the third base line that barely knicked the base to stay fair. The coaching staff put on a hit-and-run, and Davis executed it to perfection, lining a single into right field to advance Yaucher to third base.

Penn State’s most dangerous hitter, Anderson, stepped up with runners on the corners and no outs. Though before his at-bat could conclude, Yaucher made it the last 90 feet on a wild pitch, putting the first run of the game on the board.

Anderson ripped a 112 mph lineout, and the following Nittany Lions put a pair of weakly-hit balls in play, ending the inning.

And just as anyone in the park would have predicted, including the dogs, the first out of the inning was a fly ball caught on the warning track by McDonald. Charlie Sutherland laced a single up the middle, but Molinaro gobbled up a Ty Allen ground ball, starting an inning-ending double play.

Through four innings of work, Shayter’s pitch count was at 43.

Spencer Barnett led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Barnett rounded third and headed home on Jesse Jaconski’s single into center, but Easton Richter’s throw cut him down at the plate. The call was reviewed for the catcher possibly blocking the plate and was upheld.

Selvig struck out McDonald to end the fourth.

Richter, who stole a run from Penn State with an outfield assist in the fourth, gave his team a run with a solo home run out to left field. Shayter punched out his first Gopher of the day to recapture any momentum lost on the home run, and picked up the second out of the inning on a check-swing ground out.

Minnesota threatened with a two-out double, but following a mound visit, Shayter was able to produce the third out.

For Selvig, the fifth inning was much cleaner; Anderson was the only Nittany Lion to reach, and Molinaro ended the frame with his second strikeout of the day.

Mason Horwat relieved Shayter and surrendered the second hit of the day for Sutherland, but otherwise made out well with three groundouts.

Selvig’s Sunday also ended on the bench, and he was relieved by Joe Sperry. Sperry’s first batter faced was Karstetter, who legged out an infield single. Barnett nearly grounded himself into two outs, but was able to beat the throw at first and advance to second on a groundout.

He scored on Jaconski’s two-out two-run home run that hit the middle of the batter’s eye and broke the tie.

Jesse Jaconski!!! He goes off the batter's eye for his third homer of the year!

B6 | PSU 3, MINN 1#WeAre pic.twitter.com/Vfl7KsCYAX

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) May 3, 2026

McDonald followed the home run up with a bunt single, stole second, and scored on Yaucher’s bloop single over the first baseman’s head.

Yaucher lands a single in shallow right to bring in McDonald!

B6 | PSU 4, MINN 1#WeAre pic.twitter.com/eKfahvNxmk

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) May 3, 2026

Horwat walked his first batter of the seventh, and allowed a two-strike single through the left side. Mosh bunted both runners into scoring position, and that proved to be useful as Jack Spanier picked up an RBI-ground out.

That would be all for Horwat as Dimond Loosli entered the game for him. The right-hander walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases, but left them loaded with a flyout all the way to the warning track.

The newest Minnesota arm, Ben Gregory, struck out Anderson to start the seventh, and gave up a hard hit lineout to Molinaro, but Karstetter and Barnett laced a pair of singles to keep the inning from ending too early. Karstetter made the third out at third base to end the frame after Minnesota brought in a new arm.

Ben DeMell was given the eighth inning, and after getting a leadoff pop out, surrendered a solo home run over Penn State’s Clemente Wall in right field. The Nittany Lions’ lead was reduced to one.

Jaconski gave Penn State another chance to extend its lead in the eighth with a double that snuck down the third base line, but the bottom of the lineup couldn’t bring him home.

For the ninth, Mike Gambino gave Harrison Lollin the save opportunity. Lollin walked Mosh, turning the lineup over to the leadoff man, Spanier. Mosh advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then third on a bunt, putting the tying run 90 feet away.

Lollin worked from behind on Davis Hamilton but produced a shallow flyout that couldn’t score Mosh and put two outs on the scoreboard. Lollin got the final out on a pop-up in foul territory.

Takeaways

• Isaiah Shayter was efficient through four innings, producing a lot of fly outs, and plenty of them making it to the warning track. One finally flew over in the fifth, tying the game, and although no other runs scored, the home run kicked off a meltdown inning where Shayter needed over 30 pitches to get three outs. He finished the inning with 75 pitches, and his day promptly ended on the bench: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB — his best outing yet.
• Maddox McDonald was responsible for the first four putouts of the game, and the first putout of innings 1 through 4. Shayter pitched to plenty of contact and was backed by his center fielder, who ran down a few fly balls to the warning track.
• The soundboard operator played a chicken clucking noise when Minnesota’s pitcher threw over to first base twice, and the dogs in the ballpark started barking. Jesse Jaconski hit a go-ahead home run a pitch later.
• Penn State has played close baseball against some good teams, losing two one-run games against No. 19 Oregon last weekend and another one Saturday. But they finally secured one for themselves and salvaged the series in Sunday’s match.

What’s Next?

Penn State, for the first time since February, does not have any midweek games scheduled. They will host Washington for a three-game set, starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8. The game will be broadcast on BTN+.