EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Penn State baseball team (7-12, 7-12), split the Friday doubleheader against Michigan State (10-10, 10-10) in the first pod weekend of the season. The Nittany Lions dropped game one 7-4 before rebounding for a 7-3 win Friday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions will play Purdue tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. ET in a single game and then will face Purdue again on Sunday to round out the weekend.
How it Happened
Game 1
The Spartans struck first in game one, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Michigan State scored another run in the bottom of the second on a solo home run to take a 3-0 lead in the game.
In the top of the third, Curtis Robison left the yard for his first homer of the season to cut the lead to 3-1 after three full innings.
Starter Bailey Dees settled after surrendering three in the first two innings and put up three straight zeros.
Michigan State held the Nittany Lions in check after Robison's home run in the third. Penn State was unable to score over the next four innings of the game.
The Spartans were able to add onto their lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs on three hits to push their lead to 6-1.
In the top of the eighth, Robison split the centerfielder and right fielder for a double with one out. Two batters later, Gavin Homer doubled to score Robison and bring the deficit to 6-2.
After Homer's double, a walk to Tayven Kelley and Johnny Piacentino loaded the bases. The game entered an hour rain delay following the walks to Kelley and Piacentino.
A strikeout ended the Nittany Lions threat in the eighth.
Michigan State tallied another run in the bottom half of the eighth to push the lead to 7-2.
Matt Wood doubled to lead off the ninth and Josh Spiegel followed with a missile double off the right field wall, just narrowly missing a home run. A groundout advanced Spiegel to third and he would later score on a single by Robison.
Two more singles loaded the bases with one out in the ninth as the Nittany Lions had the tying run at first. The Spartans recorded the final two outs to clinch the 7-4 win.
Game 2
The late offense in game one carried over to game two as the Nittany Lions plated four runs in the top of the first for starter Conor Larkin.
Homer singled to open the game and Kelley walked. Justin Williams laved a double down the left field line to drive in both Homer and Kelley.
Wood tattooed a two-run homer to right center to cap the four-run inning.
The Spartans quickly responded by plating two in the bottom of the first.
Penn State added a fifth run on a two-out single by Spiegel to score Wood who was hit by a pitch to extend the inning.
Larkin did not allow a run in the second, third or fourth after surrendering the two spot in the first.
The Spartans got a run back in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3.
Both offenses went quiet until the top of the eighth as Penn State scored two insurance runs to make it 7-3.
Tyler Shingledecker was terrific out of the bullpen for the Nittany Lions, tossing 3.1 innings and did not allow a hit. He also struck out four in relief of Larkin as Penn State took game two 7-3.
Next Up
Kyle Virbitsky is scheduled to toe the rubber tomorrow against Purdue. Virbitsky went 7.1 innings pitched in his last outing, a career-long.