Penn State Rallies Past Bison 9-7 to Gain Split of Season Series

Tuesday, April 21

University Park, Pa.

5:30 p.m.

Bucknell University

21-19

Penn State

12-26

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Bucknell	0	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	1	7	8	1
Penn State	1	1	1	2	3	0	0	1	X	9	11	0

Photo by: Alisa Mitchell

Penn State Rallies Past Bison 9-7 to Gain Split of Season Series

4/21/2026 9:40:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State used a three-run bottom of the fifth inning to rally past Bucknell 9-7 in non-league baseball action on Tuesday night at Medlar Park. Michael Trommer and Deacon Bowne had two hits apiece, and Ryan Facinelli and Andrew Swenson knocked in two runs each for the Bison, who fell to 21-19 on the season.

Michael Anderson hit his 17th and 18th home runs of the season to lead a Penn State offense that scored runs in each of its first five turns at bat.

Bucknell blanked the Nittany Lions 9-0 back on March 25, with starter Frankie Bilecki working the first four innings and Mikey Myro the last two in that one. Penn State made sure there would be no shutout this time around, as Jayden Davis led off the bottom of the first with a home run. The Nittany Lions scored single runs in each of the first three innings against Bilecki and then touched Myro for five runs over the next two frames.

Tyler Hawkins was outstanding out of the bullpen, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. He stranded two runners to escape the fifth inning and then hung zeroes in the sixth and seventh.

Down 3-0, Bucknell got on the board in the fourth on a Zach Selfon single, a John Calabrese double, and a Facinelli RBI ground out. Anderson's blast off the scoreboard in left with two outs in the bottom of the fourth made it 5-1, but the Bison stormed ahead with five runs in the top of the fifth.

It was a patient rally, as Bucknell benefitted from three walks and two hit batsmen in the fifth. After Trommer's base hit loaded the bases with no outs, Ty Lagoni drove in a run with a sac fly and Garrett Mathias brought home a runner from third on a tough left-on-left ground ball with two strikes. Later in the inning, Facinelli walked with the bases loaded, and Swenson followed with a two-out, two-run single to center to give the Bison a 6-5 lead.

Andrew Swenson comes through with a clutch 2-out, 2-run single, and the Bison have surged in front in the top of the 5th! #rayBucknell

📺: B1G+@PatriotLeague pic.twitter.com/E9DkAAFUJz
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 21, 2026

Myro started the bottom of the fifth with a strikeout, but Penn State followed with three straight hits, a squeeze bunt, and a run-scoring wild pitch to retake the lead at 8-6.

Anderson's second homer of the game, which brought him within one of Penn State's single-season record, made it 9-6 after eight, and that proved to be a big insurance run as Bucknell rallied again in the ninth.

Selfon led off the inning with a walk, and after Ben DeMell retired the next two on a pop out and a strikeout, pinch-hitter Lleyton Coupe worked a walk after falling behind in the count 0-2. Bowne slapped a two-strike pitch into right field to score Selfon, but with the tying run on base, DeMell got the final out on a tapper back to the mound.

Penn State out-hit Bucknell 11-8, but the Bison lineup drew nine walks to Penn State's four. Bucknell left 12 runners on base against seven PSU pitchers.

Despite driving in a run with a ground out, Mathias saw his 37-game on-base streak come to an end. The freshman did not reach base for the first time all season, with the streak ending on a screaming line drive right at the second baseman in the eighth inning.

Bucknell will now turn its attention back to Patriot League play with Navy coming to Depew Field for a big three-game series this weekend. The Bison (14-6) have a one-game lead over the Midshipmen (13-7) atop the standings with six conference games remaining. Army is two back at 12-8. Bucknell has clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth but will be in a push to host a semifinal series down the stretch.