Northwestern
9-27, 0
Penn State
22-14, 0
Northwestern Unable to Take Series Finale from Penn State
4/17/2016 5:35:00 PM | Baseball
Northwestern (9-27, 2-10 B1G) had nine different players record a knock in the contest. Penn State (22-14, 8-4 B1G) also reeled off 13 hits in the game, which included two-run home runs by James Coates and Greg Guers.
Matt Hopfner, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI, recorded his 50th and 51st hit of the season. In addition to Hopfner, Joe Hoscheit also went 2-for-4 at the dish, while Jake Schieber led the Wildcats with three base knocks.
Jake Stolley (1-2) was the losing pitcher of record for Northwestern. The left-hander went 2.0 innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Tommy Bordignon, Joe Schindler, Richard Fordon and JR Reimer worked innings of relief for the 'Cats.
Justin Hagemann (5-1) went 6.0 innings with three runs allowed and five strike outs to earn the victory. Nick Hedge picked up his first save of the season after tossing three innings of relief.
Penn State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning off of Guers' two-run blast to right field. Northwestern responded in the home half of the first by stringing together six hits to plate three runs. Hopfner, Hoscheit and Zach Jones each batted in a run during the frame.
The Wildcats' lead would not last as Penn State went ahead in the top of the second when Coates hit a two-run home run to give the Nittany Lions a 4-3 advantage. PSU added a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth to extend its lead to 8-3, before bringing three more across in the eighth and ninth to make its lead 11-3.
Jack Dunn, Willie Bourbon, Mat Jones and RJ Watters each got into the hit column with singles. All 13 of Northwestern's knocks were one-baggers. This was the 19th time this season that the Wildcats have posted 10-or-more hits in a game.
Northwestern will travel to Chicago State on Tuesday, April 19 for a 6:30 p.m. game, before coming back home to play Minnesota next weekend.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hagenman, Justin (5-1)
L: Stolley, Jake (1-2)
S: Hedge, Nick (1)
Batting:
2B: Haley, Jim 2
HR: Coates, James 1 ; Guers, Greg 1
RBI: Coates, James 3 ; Guers, Greg 2 ; Kendall, Tyler 2 ; Burger, Willie 2 ; Klemann, Connor 1 ; Graham, Nick 1
SH: Bowersox, Jordan 1 ; Hughes, Conlin 1
SF: Coates, James 1 ; Kendall, Tyler 2 ; Burger, Willie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Coates, James 1 ; Haley, Jim 3 ; Guers, Greg 3 ; Kendall, Tyler 1 ; Riggins, Austin 1 ; Helsel, Christian 1 ; Graham, Nick 1
SB: Guers, Greg 3
HBP: Riggins, Austin 1 ; Helsel, Christian 1 ; Graham, Nick 1
Batting:
RBI: Hopfner, Matt 1 ; Hoscheit, Joe 1 ; Jones, Zach 1
SH: Dunn, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dunn, Jack 1 ; Bourbon, Willie 1 ; Hoscheit, Joe 1
