Penn State Baseball Set for Non-Conference Matchup with West Virginia
Penn State will get a short break from conference play on Tuesday, as the Nittany Lions host West Virginia.
The Nittany Lions are returning to the diamond following a three-game series against Northwestern over the weekend.
While the blue and white only picked up one victory during the series, all three games were close and decided by three runs or less.
The weekend started off with a Saturday doubleheader and despite the Nittany Lions holding a 4-3 lead headed into the seventh inning, the Wildcats rallied and walked things off in the ninth inning to secure a 5-4 win.
Things picked up in the second game of the day for the Nittany Lions, as starting pitcher Kellan Tulio pitched a solid five innings while striking out seven batters.
Penn State rode Tulio’s arm to the tune of a 4-1 win to set up the rubber match on Sunday.
Like the first game, the game was decided late, as yet again it was the Wildcats who walked things off with a three-run homer from Stephen Hrustich to give Northwestern a 5-2 win.
Now Penn State will shift its focus to the country roads, as the Nittany Lions will look to take home a win against West Virginia.
The Mountaineers come into the game with a 20-10 record on the year and have won their last five games.
Three of those victories came in their last series against Baylor over the weekend.
In the opening game of the series, the Mountaineers scored three runs in the last two innings to come back and pick up a 7-6 win.
The offense came alive in the middle game, as the top three batters of the West Virginia lineup combined for seven hits in a 8-4 victory.
A hot start in the final game of the series propelled the Mountaineers, as they scored six runs in the first two innings to help them secure a 7-5 win.
West Virginia has six everyday players currently hitting over the .300 mark and four of those players have three or more home runs on the year.
Penn State will be looking for its first win over the Mountaineers since May of 2017, when the Nittany Lions won by one run on the road.
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
