A general view of Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, during the 2024 college baseball season. Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Penn State Baseball Tops Washington, Faces USC for Berth in Big Ten Semifinals

Originally posted on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI
By Mark Wogenrich | Last updated May 21, 2025 9:05 PM ET

Penn State moved one win from the Big Ten Baseball Tournament semifinals with a 5-3 victory over Washington during tournament pool play in Omaha, Nebraska. With a win over USC on Thursday, the ninth-seeded Nittany Lions will advance to the Big Ten semifinals for the second consecutive season.

Penn State delivered its primary highlights in a three-run sixth inning, when it scored twice on a sacrifice fly. Bryce Molinaro hit a deep fly ball to center that easily scored Joe Jaconski from third. But Paxton Kling, Penn State's first-team all-Big Ten outfielder, aggressively scored from second on the play, giving the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead. Ryan Weingartner followed with a solo home run to put Penn State ahead 4-0.

You don’t see this everyday @PennStateBASE scored two runs on this sac fly in today’s #B1GBaseball tourney win pic.twitter.com/kCMHe51oHD
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 21, 2025

Penn State starter Ryan DeSanto delivered a scoreless start through 5.2 innings for the win. DeSanto (8-2) gave up just three singles and three walks and did not allow a Washington player to reach third base. The fifth-seeded Huskies stranded nine runners on base and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, while Penn State went 2-for-5.

Penn State led 5-0 after seven innings, but the Huskies got to Penn State's bullpen late. Washington scored three runs in the last two innings, with AJ Guerrero driving in all three. Guerrero hit a two-run home run in the eighth and an RBI double in the ninth.

Washington had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Penn State pitcher Matthew VanOstenbridge escaped from the inning with a line-drive out to shortstop to end the game. Penn State improved to 32-22 on the season, tied for second in school history in wins.

How to watch Penn State vs. USC baseball

Penn State meets fourth-seeded USC on Thursday to close out pool play in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network will televise, with the game also available on the Fox Sports app.

Penn State must beat USC to reach the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The Trojans open their first Big Ten Tournament against Penn State and will face Washingon on Thursday. The Nittany Lions made the conference championship game in 2024 under first-year coach Mike Gambino, falling to Nebraska 2-1.

This article first appeared on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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