Penn State defeats Michigan in semifinals, advances to first Big Ten Championship since 2000

OMAHA, Ne - In a back-and-forth extra-inning affair, Penn State defeats the Michigan Wolverines 7-6 to advance to its first Big Ten Championship since 2000.

The two programs would meet for the second time in the Big Ten Tournament as the Wolverines looked to get revenge on the loss the Nittany Lions handed them in the quarterfinal round.

Frankie Sanchez took the mound for the Nittany Lions in the semifinal. He only pitched the opening inning for Penn State, going scoreless and leaving the bases loaded.

Matt Morash would take over the next four innings, shutting down the Wolverines. He finished the day only allowing two hits with three strikeouts.

It was a pitching duel through three innings until Penn State’s bats broke through in the fourth. Bryce Molinaro and Grant Norris created traffic, leaving Matt Maloney with an RBI opportunity that he did not pass on.

A single to right field and an error by Michigan’s Stephen Hrustich allowed the two runners to cross the plate. Tayven Kelley was able to get a sacrifice fly to score Maloney to put the Nittany Lions up 3-0.

The Wolverines woke up in the sixth and seventh innings, taking a 5-3 lead late into the game.

Joe Jaconski took immediate action, starting the comeback with a leadoff home run.

The first time these two teams saw each other in the quarterfinal round, Bryce Molinaro had the biggest hit of his college career. A grand slam in the eighth inning helped lift the Nittany Lions to a win.

Bryce Molinaro proved once again that no moment is too big for him. He tied the game in the eighth inning.

Anthony Steele took the mound late and showed resilience in getting out of a tough situation where the Wolverines were threatening.

Head coach Mike Gambino brought in his sixth pitcher of the day, Ben DeMell, giving him the ball for the rest of the game.

The two rival programs couldn’t get the best of each other, needing extra innings to decide a winner.

In the 10th inning, J.T. Marr set the table for Adam Cecere to show off his power. Cecere found the pitch he was looking for, crushing it over the right field wall to give the Nittany Lions the 7-5 lead.

“I choked up a little bit. Heard my mom hit me with a ‘here we go, bud.’ and that was that,” Cecere said.

A little bit of inspiration from his mom helped Cecere record his 17th home run of the season and 49th of his career.

It was up to DeMell to shut things down for Penn State. Hrustich and Mitch Voit have been causing problems for Penn State all afternoon.

Voit got a home run of his own to get the game back within one, but a flyout from Hrustich sealed the deal for the Nittany Lions.

The Cinderella story continues for the Nittany Lions, who entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed.

With the victory, Gambino became the winningest first-year head coach in Penn State baseball history with win No. 29.

For the first time since 2000, Penn State will play in the Big Ten Championship.

Anthony Desher is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.