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Penn State baseball beat Buckeyes for first B1G conference sweep

The Nittany Lions earned their first conference sweep of the year in dominant fashion.

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Penn State baseball, Medlar Field
April 11, 2023. Medlar Field during Penn State's 11-6 victory over West Virginia. Credit: Basic Blues Nation, 2023.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It’s been an up-and-down year for Rob Cooper’s Penn State Nittany Lions. After a solid start to the season, the Lions have struggled in conference play over the last several weeks. While they have still soundly handled their intermittent non-conference opponents — most recently last Tuesday — the Lions still haven’t figured out how to consistently beat B1G opponents. But that trend changed this weekend, as Penn State baseball swept the Ohio State Buckeyes for its first B1G conference sweep this season.

Lions open the series strong

Penn State quickly took a demanding 4-0 lead in the first inning after a grand slam from Johnny Piacentino. The Lions continued to add to their lead in the third inning with a double from freshman Bobby Marsh that scored Thomas Bramley and Josh Spiegel and increased the lead to 6-0.  

Ohio Stated got on the board in the fifth inning, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop the Penn State onslaught. Grant Norris brought in another run in the Lions’ half of the fifth, increasing the lead to six once again. 

Penn State added two more in the sixth inning to get the lead up to 9-1. The Buckeyes blasted a two-run home run in the seventh, but Penn State responded with its own homer in the eighth. The Lions went on to win 10-3. Jaden Henline picked up his fifth win of the season, allowing nine hits, three earned runs, and striking out four in the seven-inning effort.

Late rally seals game two

Penn State again got on the board first, knocking in runs in the second and third innings to take an early 2-0 lead. Ohio State tied the game from a hit batter with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and a groundout in the sixth.

But Penn State baseball blew the game open with a five-run seventh inning. After a bases-loaded walk from Spiegel brought in the go-ahead run, Bramley, Piacentino, and Marsh would rattle off hits to give the Lions a 7-2 lead. 

The final score would stay at 7-2, giving the Lions the series win. Travis Luensmann picked up his sixth win, pitching five strong innings in relief of Jordan Morales, including five strikeouts and a single run allowed.  

Penn State baseball gets first B1G conference sweep in dominant fashion

Unlike the previous two games, Ohio State started the scoring in the series finale. A pair of wild pitches and an RBI single gave the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead in the third inning. But that would be all the fight the Buckeyes could muster on Sunday.

Penn State bounced right back in the third inning with an RBI triple from Kyle Hannon and an RBI single from Spiegel to make it a 3-2 game. The Lions then took the lead and then some during a 10-run fourth inning. After a series of hit batters, walks, errors, and fielder’s choices gave Penn State a 9-3 lead, Marsh cranked a three-run homer to cap off the inning. 

The Lions’ offense continued to step on the gas, adding three more runs across the fifth and sixth innings. But by this point, the game was clearly decided. The Nittany Lions would pick up a monstrous 15-3 win, completing their B1G conference sweep this year. Jordan Morales picked up his third win of the season, pitching an inning and a third in relief of Daniel Ouderkirk.

Country roads

The Nittany Lions look to keep their four-game winning streak going as they travel to Morgantown to take on West Virginia Tuesday. Penn State won the first part of this home-and-home series in chaotic fashion earlier this season.  

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Currently a Penn State student majoring in Data Sciences, Surya is a passionate New York sports fan. He covers Penn State baseball, softball, and more.

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