BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Penn State baseball team dropped a pair of contests to the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday. The Nittany Lions (2-6, 2-6) fell 6-5 and 2-1 to the Hoosiers (7-1, 7-1) in Sunday's doubleheader.
The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for the first home weekend series of the season beginning on Friday against Maryland after beginning it season with two road series.
How it Happened
Game 1
The Hoosiers took the lead in the bottom of the first. A two-out walk and a stolen base put a runner on second. A single up the middle plated the run to give Indiana a 1-0 lead after one frame.
Penn State gained the lead with a four-run third inning. Justin Williams and Cole Bartels walked to begin the inning. Curtis Robison singled up the middle to score Williams and knot the game at one.
Senior Gavin Homer lined a shot into left that was just out of the outstretched dive of the Indiana left fielder and rolled to the wall. Homer ended up at third with a two-RBI triple. Homer later scored on a single by Johnny Piacentino.
The Nittany Lions added another run in the top of the fifth on another Piacentino RBI single.
Indiana got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run and a RBI single.
Headed into the bottom of the seventh, the Nittany Lions looked to take game one of the doubleheader.
After a strikeout to begin the inning, a walk and a single put two runners on. Preseason All-American Grant Richardson of Indiana sent a high fly ball that carried over the left field wall for a three-run home run and give Indiana the 6-5 win.
Game 2
The Nittany Lions looked to take an early advantage as they loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second. A strikeout ended the threat in the frame.
Indiana plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the third to take a 1-0 lead. The Nittany Lions tied the game in the top of the fifth. Williams doubled to lead of the inning and moved up to third on a groundout to second.
Williams scored on groundout to bring the score even at one.
After the Starter Kyle Virbitsky retired the next nine Hoosiers to keep the teams tied at 1-1.
Indiana managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the seventh on a safety squeeze with runners on first and third.
After the first two Nittany Lions batters were retired in the top of the eighth, Penn State loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a HBP. Following a pitching change for the Hoosiers, a strikeout ended the Nittany Lions threat.
Penn State was set down in order in the ninth as the Hoosiers held on for a 2-1 win.
Stats
Game 1
Henline – 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 Ks
Shingledecker (L, 0-1) – 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 Ks
Homer – 1-4, 1 3B, 2 RBI
Piacentino – 2-3, 2 RBI
Robison – 1-2, 2 R, 1 RBI
Game 2
Virbitsky (L, 0-1) – 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 Ks
Mellot – 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
Williams – 1-4, 1 2B, 1 R