Penn State baseball struggles, falls to Indiana in Game 2 of Friday doubleheader

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – “Doubleheader Game 2: The Hoosiers Strike Back.” The Indiana Hoosiers changed the narrative, taking care of business against Penn State 17-6 on a windy and chilly Friday evening.

The Hoosiers looked to even up the series and struck quickly and heavily in the first frame, scoring four runs.

Mason Horwat was taken out of the contest after going 0.2 IP, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks. Mike Gambino’s squad would have to activate the bullpen early.

Nittany Lion bats were fairly quiet through three innings of work, only tallying two hits and one run off of a Bryce Molinaro fielder’s choice that scored Ryan Weingartner.

Graduate right-handed pitcher Ben Grable had the Nittany Lions guessing throughout his outing. In five innings, he stood tall with four strikeouts, one hit and only allowed that one run. His earned-run average is now at 2.25 on the season.

Indiana’s Cooper Malamazian had a day at the dish in Game 2. The freshman set a single-game school record, smacking four doubles around Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

His outing was just a portion of the 22 hits the Hoosiers were able to collect during the game. Eight players on the roster had a multi-hit game.

The Hoosiers gave the Nittany Lions nothing to work with at the plate and used that to take over commandingly.

The Nittany Lions were staring a mercy rule in the face through six innings as 13 Hoosiers crossed the plate compared to the Nittany Lions’ three. The Hoosiers’ dominance took the air out of the Nittany Lions’ lungs.

“There was about three innings there, I felt like we kind of like moped, and I’m not okay with that….they aren’t okay with that,” head coach Mike Gambino said. “Our standard is that we’re going to fight to beat, and I think there was about three innings in there we felt sorry for ourselves.”

Joe Jaconski forced another inning after an RBI double scored two runners in the seventh, but the Hoosiers scored four in the eighth, putting it out of reach for good for the Nittany Lions.

Seven Nittany Lion arms were used on the mound across the eight innings. With a day off between Games 2 and 3, the bullpen strain can have a chance to heal as the team looks to bounce back on Sunday.

The Nittany Lions were entering the contest on a nine-game win streak, holding a 10-1 record. A long baseball season will have its road bumps, but the program has been playing at a high level for weeks.

“We have been playing great, and things like this happen…this is a super regional feel as far as two teams that could potentially be super regional, right? These are two postseason teams,” Gambino said.

The Nittany Lions will play the Hoosiers on Sunday to decide the series winner.

Anthony Desher is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email desher1119@gmail.com.