UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team fell 13-4 against Iowa on Saturday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions dropped the middle game of the series. PSU and Iowa have each won a game in the series heading into Sunday’s finale.
Penn State is now 5-12 overall (1-1 Big Ten), while Iowa improved to 12-6 overall (1-1 Big Ten).
Sophomore Ben Hudson earned the start for the Nittany Lions, working 4.2 innings. He allowed seven runs on 12 hits. Hudson recorded four strikeouts and one walk.
Ethan Bauerschmidt threw one inning, giving up two runs on one hit and three walks. Mason Butash went one inning, giving up one run (unearned) on two hits and a walk, while striking out one. Robert Brown III threw 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, while tallying two strikeouts. Harrison Lollin tossed one inning, giving up three runs.
Logan Runde got the start for Iowa, firing six innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits. Runde recorded six strikeouts and one walk. Tate Slagle worked 1.1 frames, giving up two runs on two walks and three strikeouts. Beau Leisure recorded one out and walked three. Joe Husak threw a scoreless inning. Justin Hackett got the final out of the ninth.
Penn State tallied four runs on two hits and eight walks. Spencer Barnett doubled and scored two runs. Bryce Molinaro added an RBI single.
Iowa scored 13 runs on 19 hits. Joey Nerat drove in five runs with four hits, including two doubles and a homer. Brett White recorded a double and a homer, resulting in three RBI. Caleb Wulf added three hits, including a solo homer, and three runs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawkeyes got on the board in the top of the first. Leading off the inning, Gable Mitchell snuck a grounder inside the first base bag and into the right field corner as he raced to third for a triple. Miles Risley lifted a sac fly to right to bring in Mitchell. Iowa led 1-0.
Iowa added a run in the second. With two outs, Max Burt worked back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk. Ben Swails landed a line drive in the right-center gap as Burt hustled home. The Hawkeyes held a 2-0 lead.
The Hawkeyes plated a run in the third. With one out, Caleb Wulf lifted a fly ball to right and landed over the fence. Iowa pushed its lead to 3-0.
Penn State cut its deficit in the fourth. With one out, Spencer Barnett smacked a double to right. He moved up to third on a fly out to right by Jayden Davis. Bryce Molinaro dropped a single into shallow right to drive in Barnett. PSU trailed 3-1.
Iowa added four runs in the fifth. With one out, Wulf placed a single into center. Two batters later, Joey Nerat sent an 0-0 pitch over the wall in right. Kooper Schulte followed with a single through the middle. A fly ball by Brett White carried over the wall in center. Iowa led 7-1 through five.
The Hawkeyes tallied a run in the sixth. Walks by Swails and Mitchell started the inning before Risley was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Wulf bounced into a doubleplay but allowed Swails to cross the plate. After a walk by Bryce Phelps, a double by Nerat brought in Mitchell. Iowa held a 9-1 advantage.
Penn State got a run in the bottom of the sixth. Maddox McDonald reached on a walk. Michael Anderson held off on a 3-2 pitch for a walk. A wild pitch moved the runners up. With one out, Jayden Davis bounced a grounder to the right side to allow McDonald to score. PSU still trailed, 9-2.
Iowa added a run in the seventh. With one out, pinch-hitter Mitch Wood reached on an error. A single by Mitchell moved pinch-runner Matthew Delgado to second. Risley followed with a single to plate Delgado and move the Iowa lead to 10-2.
Penn State chipped away in the eighth. McDonald worked a leadoff walk. Two batters later, Barnett drew a walk. Molinaro held off on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Jack Porter drew a five-pitch walk to plate McDonald. Jesse Jaconski battled through a nine-pitch at-bat to draw a walk and score Barnett. PSU cut its deficit to 10-4.
Iowa plated three runs in the ninth. With one out, a walk by Risley was followed by a fielder’s choice by Wulf. A walk by Phelps was followed by a wild pitch to put runners on second and third. Nerat bounced a single through the right side to drive in Wulf and Phelps. White landed a fly ball in shallow center to plate Nerat. Iowa led 13-4.
UP NEXT
The series concludes on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The contest will be streamed on B1G+.
All games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park are free admission for all ages.
The 2026 Penn State Baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.