Baseball Earns Series-Opening Win, 10-6, At Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Penn State baseball team erased an early 5-0 deficit to earn a 10-6 win over Ohio State in the series opener on Friday afternoon at Bill Davis Stadium. Home runs by Michael Anderson and Bryce Molinaro helped the Nittany Lions to take the lead and a three-run blast by Kevin Karstetter gave PSU important insurance runs.

 

The Nittany Lions improved to 10-21 on the season (4-9 Big Ten), while Ohio State fell to 17-15 overall (7-6 Big Ten).

 

The Penn State pitching staff allowed just one run and five hits over the final 7.2 innings.

 

Colin Fitzgerald earned the start for the Nittany Lions, working five innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits. Fitzgerald tallied four strikeouts and two walks. He held Ohio State scoreless over his final 3.2 innings, giving up just two hits over that span.

 

Ben DeMell worked a scoreless inning, including a strikeout, to earn the win. Dimond Loosli threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on a hit and two walks. Kyle Emmons fired 2.1 shutout frames, allowing just one hit, and struck out two to pick up the save.

 

With his 70^th career pitching appearance, DeMell tied Anthony Steele (70; 2022-25) for the seventh-most in program history.

 

Gavin Kuzniewski made the start for the Buckeyes, tossing 6.1 frames. He allowed five runs on five hits, while striking out two. Jake Michalak gave up five runs on five hits over one inning of work. Michalak registered two strikeouts and a walk. Logan McVicker threw 1.2 scoreless innings and notched four strikeouts.

 

The Nittany Lions plated 10 runs on 10 hits. Michael Anderson collected three hits, including two doubles and a homer, three RBI and two runs. Kevin Karstetter added three hits, including a triple and a three-run homer, and three runs. Bryce Molinaro launched a two-run homer, while Avery Smith drove in two runs.

 

With his solo homer in the sixth, Anderson hit his 14^th home run of the season. He is tied for sixth in a season at Penn State with Grant Norris (14; 2024).

 

Molinaro blasted his 33^rd career homer, moving into a tie for third all-time at Penn State with Dan Beers (33; 1996-99).

 

Ohio State recorded six runs on 10 hits. Miles Vandenheuvel secured two hits, including a three-run homer. Henry Kaczmar contributed two hits, including a double, and scored a run. Noah Furcht added a solo homer.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Buckeyes got on the board in the first. With two outs, Noah Furcht lifted the first pitch he saw over the wall in center. The solo homer put Ohio State ahead, 1-0.

 

Ohio State added four runs in the second. With one out, Lee Ellis landed a double in the right field corner. Maddix Simpson dribbled a single through the left side to bring in Ellis. A single to right by Jacob Parr put runners on the corners. Miles Vandenheuvel launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left. OSU held a 5-0 lead.

 

Penn State plated a run in the third. Kevin Karstetter lined a leadoff triple off the wall in center. Avery Smith smacked a line drive to center, which was caught, allowing Karstetter to cross the plate on the sac fly. PSU cut its deficit to 5-1.

 

The Nittany Lions chipped away in the fourth. Michael Anderson ripped a leadoff double into left. Bryce Molinaro blasted a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center. His ninth homer of the year trimmed PSU’s deficit to 5-3.

 

Penn State got another run in the sixth. With one out, Anderson hammered the first pitch he saw over the batter’s eye in center. The 438-foot homer brought PSU within one run, 5-4.

 

The Nittany Lions took the lead in the top of the seventh. Jack Porter was hit by a pitch to begin the frame. Porter moved up to second on a hit-and-run. Karstetter lined a single to left to put runners on the corners. Avery Smith bounced a single through the right side to plate Porter. After Cohl Mercado was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Anderson smacked a double into left to drive in Karstetter and Smith. Penn State held a 7-5 lead.

 

Ohio State answered in the bottom of the seventh. Henry Kaczmar roped a single into center to leadoff the inning. He moved up to second and third on consecutive groundouts. A passed ball allowed Kaczmar to score. PSU led 7-6 through seven.

 

Penn State extended its lead in the eighth. Spencer Barnett started the inning with a single through the middle. Two batters later, Jayden Davis worked a seven-pitch walk. Karstetter crushed a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right. His three-run homer pushed PSU’s lead to 10-6.

 

UP NEXT

The series continues on Saturday at 3 p.m. and concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed on B1G+.

 

The 2026 Penn State Baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.