Penn State baseball drops Big Ten Tournment championship heartbreaker
Just 12 days ago, Penn State baseball suffered a mercy rule, 10-0 loss at Pittsburgh. Sitting at 9-12 against Big Ten competition with a three-game series at Maryland on deck to close the season, the Nittany Lions needed wins to keep their season alive.
They got them.
Turning one win into two, and two into three, Penn State earned a last-day invite to the Big Ten Tournament as an eight-seed in Omaha, Neb, this week. In three games since then, the Nittany Lions have taken advantage. First knocking off No. 1-seed Illinois on Wednesday, they followed with a Thursday win over Michigan to reach the semifinals and, on Saturday another upset of the Wolverines to earn a Sunday championship game berth against No. 2-seed Nebraska.
Like they’d done all week, they continued to seize the moment.
In a pitchers’ duel in front of an overwhelmingly pro-Nebraska crowd, Penn State battled. But, in reaching the conference final for the first time since 2000, the Nittany Lions came up just short in a 2-1 loss to the Cornhuskers.
How it happened
Penn State baseball’s most successful offense came early against pitcher Jackson Brockett. As the program has done in each of its Big Ten Tournament outings, the Nittany Lions manufactured an early run by getting baserunners.
This time, it came in the bottom of the first.
Beginning with a 3-2 walk for leadoff Joe Jaconski, Penn State produced a two-out rally before the end of the inning. Grant Norris singled to advance Jaconski, while a Bryce Molinaro single on a tough play at third juiced the bases.
Looking to keep Norris honest at second base, though, Nebraska made its first and only mistake. Turning to attempt a pickoff at second, the throw skipped into the outfield to let Jaconski walk home for the Nittany Lions’ first run of the game.
The inning continued with a Bobby Marsh single to again load the bases. But, Brockett got out of the inning when Kelley grounded out softly to second base.
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On the line
From there, the pitchers’ duel began in earnest. From the second through the sixth innings, only three hits were surrendered.
In the top of the seventh, Nebraska’s big-hitting catcher Josh Caron ended that stretch. Catching a high fastball, Caron sent a solo shot over the right field wall to even the score at 1-1.
Trading a scoreless eighth inning, the Nittany Lions’ tenuous grip slipped in the top of the ninth. With starter Jason Henline working two innings in relief, Gabe Swansen put Nebraska ahead with a 3-2 double to left center. The shot scored Brumbaugh, who stole second earlier in the at-bat, and followed a controversial ball three call skirting the outside corner of the plate. With Swansen on second, Penn State right fielder Adam Cecere ended the threat with a leaping catch at the wall to end the top of the ninth.
Last chance
The Nittany Lions would face the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Brett Sears, with a final shot in the bottom of the ninth.
Adam Cecere opened the inning with a fly to shallow center field. Norris followed with a grinding at-bat, working a 3-2 count before going down swinging for out No. 2. A first-pitch swing for Bryce Molinaro ended the Nittany Lions’ hopes in left field.
With the loss, Penn State’s season ends with a 29-24 overall record.
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