Penn State shortstop Eliot Searer walked to the plate with one out and Luis Montesinos standing on second.
He delivered an RBI single, and gave the Nittany Lions a 4-3. win, their first conference win of the season.
The Hoosiers suffered their third walk-off loss. Their modest three-game winning streak, a season-high, was snapped.
Penn State wasted no time against senior starter Drew Leininger. He allowed an RBI single with a man retired. He issued a walk to designated hitter Aaron Novak to load the bases. He pitched his way out of trouble, as Montesinos grounded into a 6-3 double play.
An inning later, after left fielder Sean Deegan hit an RBI single, the Nittany Lions again loaded the bases against Leininger, this time with two outs.
Head coach Tracy Smith made a pitching change. Luke Harrison struck out first baseman Jordan Steranka to end the threat.
The Hoosiers responded in the top of the third with two singles to lead off the frame. Sophomore designated hitter Dillon Dooney dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance freshman Chad Clark to third and freshman catcher Kyle Schwarber to second.
Freshman first baseman Sam Travis drove Clark home with a sacrifice fly.
The score remained 2-1 until the sixth, when IU tied the game. After junior shortstop Michael Basil lined out to third to begin the inning, freshman left fielder Chris Sujka and junior center fielder Justin Cureton hit back-to-back singles.
With Sujka standing on third, redshirt freshman Will Nolden pinch-hit for redshirt freshman right fielder Tim O'Conner. Nolden hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Sujka.
Junior reliever Jonny Hoffman pitched 4.1 innings in relief of Harrison who, in two innings of work yielded only one hit. Hoffman gave up only one run, and it was unearned in the seventh. Center fielder Steve Snyder scored on a walk drawn by Novak.
Snyder singled to lead off the inning. Deegan reached on a throwing error by Travis; Snyder advanced to third. Hoffman intentionally walked Steranka, loading the bases.
Novak's walk gave PSU a 3-2 lead.
IU rallied in the top of the ninth. Nolden led off with a single. Sophomore third baseman Dustin DeMuth sacrificed him to second. Clark, the next batter, laced an RBI double down the right-field line. Schwarber flew out to right field, and Clark took third. With two outs, Dooney was caught looking at strike three.
Smith brought in sophomore reliever Matt Dearden. Though Dearden allowed a hit, but left third baseman Joey DeBernardis stranded at second.
Dearden was unable to strand Montesinos at second in the tenth, thus setting up the rubber match tomorrow at 1:05.
Worth noting:
Smith's post-game tweet.
For the fourth straight game, the Hoosiers started five freshmen position players.
IU collected 10 hits and drew three walks.
Hoosier pitchers threw three wild pitches.
IU committed two errors. Neither Nittany Lion to reach base via an error scored. But it is the sixth consecutive game in which the Hoosiers have committed one.
