Penn State upsets No. 17 West Virginia in front of historic crowd

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State Nittany Lions struck out nine batters en route to a victory over the No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers on Tuesday Night.

The Nittany Lions secured their first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 20 Maryland on May 19, 2023.

Right-handed pitcher Mason Butash took the first 4.2 innings of the game, striking out four batters and allowing zero earned runs.

Designated hitter Jack Porter opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to right-center field.

“It was a good momentum shift in the game to have on our side,” Butash commented regarding the early run support. “So it was a big deal.”

Third baseman Bryce Molinaro extended the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run single to right field, scoring center fielder Paxton Kling and designated hitter Jack Porter to make it a 3-0 game.

The Mountaineers cut into the lead with a two-run home run from second baseman Spencer Barnett in the top of the seventh inning to make it a 3-2 ballgame, but it would not be enough as the Nittany Lions prevailed.

Butash’s previous start was against West Virginia last year when he struggled, allowing seven runs in 0.1 of an inning on May 8. He moved on from then and focused on tonight’s game.

“Coach Gambino taught me to never connect my outings,” Butash stated. “I kind of erased it from my mind and it was a new day, just decided to attack hitters and trust my defense behind me.”

Right fielder Cohl Mercado had a few highlight plays in the outfield in the win, making four putouts on the night.

“It’s a complete game changer,” Gambino commented regarding Mercado’s catches. “And he gives us so much offensively”.

First baseman Cole Wagner is ‘out indefinitely’ with a broken bone in his wrist, according to head coach Mike Gambino.

Gambino is now 14-13 against ranked opponents since the start of 2023.

The Nittany Lions are now 25-14 and will travel to face No. 15 UCLA for the start of a weekend series on Friday. Penn State is now 10-9 at home and 54-38 in the Mike Gambino era.

Penn State snapped No. 17 West Virginia’s 14-game win streak, which was the longest active streak in Division I.

The Nittany Lions allowed their fewest runs against the Mountaineers since Feb. 19, 2011, in a 3-2 win at a neutral site.

Penn State saw its attendance record for baseball being broken tonight, as 6,106 fans packed Medlar Field at Lubrano Park past capacity.

Leadership has not been hard to find in the Nittany Lions’ locker room, as it has come from everyone in the clubhouse.

“It’s not one guy,” Gambino stated. “We need a group to do it, [and] that’s what they’re doing.”

Bryan Portney is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.