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Penn State

Penn State stuns again, upsetting USC to advance to B1G semifinals

nate-mug-10.12.14by: Nate Bauer05/22/25NateBauerBWI
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Penn State catcher Nate Voss (File photo credit: Steven Walter/Penn State Athletics)

Tasked with playing loose, confident baseball by second-year manager Mike Gambino in the Big Ten Tournament this week, Penn State would need back-to-back wins to keep its season alive. Wednesday afternoon in Omaha, Neb., the No. 9-seeded Nittany Lions took care of the first step, knocking off Washington.

Facing 4-seed Southern Cal on Thursday afternoon, they did it again.

Propelled by a Nate Voss home run in the top of the ninth inning to break a stalemate, the Nittany Lions earned a 2-1 upset over the Trojans. With the win, they advance to the semifinals round on Saturday, where they’ll face the winner of Nebraska and Oregon. 

To do so, the Nittany Lions needed to outlast a sterling pitching performance from Southern Cal pitcher Caden Aoki. Dinging the Trojan starter in the top of the first inning with a manufactured run, Penn State’s damage was limited over the ensuing six innings. Aoki finished allowing just one earned run on six hits, striking out seven batters over 116 pitches.

Meanwhile, Penn State needed to turn to a committee approach from the mound. Sophomore Logan Olson pitched a clean first inning but immediately found trouble in the second. Backed by a 1-0 advantage, a single up the middle put the Trojans in scoring position when a stolen base for Covarrubias resulted in an extra base thanks to an overthrow from Voss. Combined with a walk and a hit batter, Olson’s perilous position gave way when a Brayden Dowd infield single scored his teammate. 

A visit to the mound from Gambino put the Nittany Lions’ bullpen in motion, but the manager stuck with Olson to get the third out. Forcing a ground-out to Derek Cease at second base, the blow-trading set up six innings of tension-filled baseball.

For the Nittany Lions, runners on first and second in the third would be their last in scoring position of the game. The Trojans, meanwhile, repeatedly put Penn State in jams. No more evident was that than in the bottom of the third. Beginning with a Bryce Grudzielanek single, an Aiden Lopez double down the left field line set up another critical, bang-bang play for the Nittany Lions.

Sending Grudzielanek home on the double, USC got picked off at the plate in a stunningly close play. Called an out on the field, a lengthy video review led home plate umpire Greg Harmon to stick with the call. Turning to Ben DeMell, a walk again put two men on before finishing out the inning with back-to-back fly outs. 

The Nittany Lions would need more of the same magic in the bottom of the eighth. This time, a single and a second throwing error on a stolen base attempt by Voss put Penn State on edge. Working a 2-2 count, a high fastball to Dowd from Dimond Loosli ended the inning and Southern Cal’s last scoring threat of the afternoon.

With Chase Renner pitching a clean inning in the bottom of the ninth after the Voss homer, Penn State’s bullpen combined for 6.2 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs. Southern Cal left 12 runners on base for the game.

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