Second baseman Zach Morton scored the winning run in the 11th inning Saturday. The sophomore also pitched three scoreless innings, picking up his first win of the season. (Mackenzie McCluer/The Daily Northwestern)

Sophomore Paul Snieder and his teammates had just dropped the finale of their three-game series at Penn State, a 6-5 nailbiter that thwarted Northwestern’s attempt at a sweep, and they were in the midst of a ten-hour ride back to Evanston. But if they felt dejected after the loss, one would never know it from the rollicking atmosphere on the bus.

After all, the Wildcats had pocketed two impressive wins and taken their first Big Ten series.

“We’re really not that down,” Snieder said. “Of course we wanted the sweep, but we played well and won the series. Guys are pretty happy right now.”

NU won the first two games of the series before falling Sunday, and coach Paul Stevens said the team was pleased with that result.

via The Daily Northwestern – Baseball: Northwestern’s offense comes alive at Penn State.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team used a four-run third inning to erase a 3-0 deficit, on its way to a 6-5 win over Northwestern in Sunday’s series finale at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Junior catcher Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) tied a career-high with three hits which extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games, tied for the seventh longest in school history. The Nittany Lions round out their five-game homestand on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. against in-state rival Pittsburgh. It’s THON night with all student ticket proceeds donated to IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

via Nittany Lions Bounce Back With 6-5 Win Over Northwestern – PENN STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE.

Collegian Staff Writer

After giving up late-game leads in the first two games of the series, the Penn State baseball team avoided a sweep at the hands of Northwestern (9-21, 3-3 Big Ten) Sunday with a 6-5 win.

The Nittany Lions (13-17, 2-4) overcame two separate deficits and broke a 5-5 tie with an RBI single by freshman Elliot Searer in the bottom of the seventh inning.

via Lions hold on to avoid sweep – The Daily Collegian Online.

UNIVERSITY PARK — The pitching was better — much better. But the same little mistakes caught Penn State again.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t hold a late two-run lead Saturday and lost their second game in as many days to Northwestern, this one a 3-2 affair in 11 innings.

Geoff Rowan’s double just inside the right-field line scored Zach Morton in the top of the 11th and Paul Snieder, who played the first 10 innings at first base, set the Nittany Lions (12-17, 1-4 Big Ten) down in order in the bottom half.

But, like Friday’s 11-5 defeat, it was earlier Penn State mistakes that let Northwestern take control of the game.

via Wildcats thwart Lions late, again – Sports | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite a solid pitching performance from sophomore Ryan Ignas (North Wales, Pa.), the Nittany Lion baseball team fell to Northwestern, 3-2 in 11 innings on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Ignas only allowed one earned run in a career-high 7.1 innings, but it wasn’t enough. Junior Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) did extend his career-high hitting streak to 16 games, tied for 10th-longest in school history. The teams meet in the series finale on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Penn State (12-17, 1-4 Big Ten) used runs in the fourth and fifth innings to build a 2-0 lead, but three unanswered tallies, including one in the top of the 11th, sends Penn State into Sunday looking to snap a two-game slide.

via Nittany Lion Baseball Clipped by Northwestern in 11 Innings – PENN STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite holding a 5-3 lead after six full innings, Northwestern exploded for two runs in the seventh and six more in the eighth to spoil Penn State’s Big Ten home opener, 11-5, on Friday evening at a chilly Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Redshirt senior Mike Wanamaker (Upper Nyack, N.Y.) made his fifth start of the season, throwing the first 5.1 innings while allowing three runs and striking out four. Sophomore Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had the big blow, a three-run home run in the third to put the Lions on top. The teams meet in game two of the series on Saturday at 2:05 p.m.

Junior Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) and sophomore Sean Deegan (Readington, N.J.) led the Nittany Lions’ (12-16, 1-3 Big Ten) offensive effort, going 3-4 and 2-4, respectively. Heath’s three hits tied a career-high while improving his average to .364. He also upped his career-high hitting streak to 15 games, tied for the 14th longest in school history. Heath drove in a run while Steranka’s long ball provided the other three RBI for the Lions.

via Baseball Falls to Northwestern in Series Opener, 11-5 – PENN STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE.

Defensive mistakes seem to grow in magnitude as the inning goes on.

An errant throw here or a dropped ball doesn’t kill you, but if you allow your opponent to build momentum on those mistakes, as the Penn State baseball team did Friday night against Northwestern, you could be in for a long night.

The Wildcats took advantage of some timely Nittany Lion lapses to erase a two-run deficit in the seventh inning and blow the game open with a six-run eighth during an 11-5 win at snow-flurried Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

via Snowball effect: PSU loses at home – Sports | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA.

Collegian Staff Writer

A disastrous eighth inning, in which the Penn State baseball team used three pitchers and faced 11 Northwestern hitters, was too much for the Nittany Lions (12-16, 1-3 Big Ten) to overcome in Friday night’s 11-5 loss.

Entering the inning tied at 5, Penn State gave up six runs off six hits and one error – a bobbled ball at second base with one out in a double-play situation.

Instead of fielding the throw from pitcher Steven Hill cleanly and turning a double play to end the inning before any runs were scored, shortstop Louie Picconi dropped the ball with the runner bearing down on him, allowing the inning to continue.

Northwestern (8-20, 2-2) then recorded five-straight hits to plate the six runs, blowing the game wide open.

via Baseball team’s late-game woes lead to loss – The Daily Collegian Online.