OMAHA, Neb. – The Penn State Baseball team fell 2-1 against Nebraska on Sunday in the Championship Game of the Big Ten Tournament Presented By IFS.ai. The Nittany Lions and Huskers were even at 1-1 going into the ninth, but Nebraska took the lead on a two-out double. Penn State finished the 2024 campaign with a 29-24 record.
The Nittany Lions ended a tremendous Big Ten Tournament run where, as the eighth seed, they collected wins over Illinois (8-4) on Wednesday and Michigan on Thursday (9-5) and Saturday (7-6) before falling to the No. 2 seed Nebraska.
Penn State reached the Big Ten Tournament Final for the first time since 2000 and the second time in program history. The Nittany Lions won three Big Ten Tournament games for the first time since 2007 and won three-straight games to open the tournament for the first time in program history.
PSU became the first eighth seed to reach the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game since Iowa in 2016.
Penn State finished its first year under head coach Mike Gambino with 29 wins, the most in any year under a first-year head coach at PSU. Gambino became the first Big Ten baseball coach to lead his team to a Big Ten Championship Game in year one since Minnesota's John Anderson in 1982.
Adam Cecere, Travis Luensmann, J.T. Marr and Bryce Molinaro were all named to the Big Ten Tournament Team.
Luensmann made the start for Penn State, firing seven innings. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out six batters. Luensmann retired the first nine batters of the game and added a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. He did not allow a run until the seventh. The Altoona native recorded multiple strikeouts in each of the first two innings.
Jaden Henline tossed two innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out one. He worked a scoreless eighth inning, including a strikeout to end the frame. He got two groundouts to begin the ninth before Nebraska broke through.
Jackson Brockett got the start for Nebraska, going eight innings. He allowed one run on four hits. Brockett registered five strikeouts and one walk. Brett Sears threw the ninth inning and struck out one.
Penn State tallied one run on four hits. Cecere recorded a double, while Joe Jaconski walked and scored a run. Bobby Marsh, Molinaro and Grant Norris each added a single with Molinaro's extending his hit streak to 18 games to finish the year.
Nebraska scored two runs on six hits. Gabe Swansen had two hits, including an RBI double. Josh Caron launched a solo homer.
Penn State got on the board in the first. Jaconski worked a leadoff walk. With two outs, Grant Norris shot a grounder through the left side. Molinaro reached on an infield single to load the bases. With Marsh at the plate, an error on a pickoff throw towards second allowed Jaconski to score. PSU led 1-0. The inning continued as Marsh singled to right to load the bases. However, a groundout ended the frame.
In the bottom of the sixth, with one out, Cecere lined a double down the right-field line. A pair of groundouts ended the inning and left Cecere on second.
Nebraska tied the game in the seventh. Leading off the inning, Josh Caron lined a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right-center. The game was even at 1-1.
The Huskers took the lead in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Ben Columbus lined a single to center. Pinch-runner Cayden Brumbaugh stole second. After a 2-2 pitch on the corner was called a ball, Gabe Swansen ripped a line drive to the left-center gap for a double as Brumbaugh scored. Nebraska gained a 2-1 lead.
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The 2024 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Travis Luensmann