PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball fell short in its quest for a sweep in the first Big Ten series of the season, falling 9-3 to Penn State in a chilly Sunday series finale at Bainton Field. The Scarlet Knights had previously beaten the Nittany Lions by the scores of 4-1 and 1-0 to claim the weekend set.
 
Nine different batters recorded a hit for RU (13-8, 2-1), with junior Nick Matera lifting his second home run of the season and singling. Redshirt freshman Dan DiGeorgio and junior Jawuan Harris both collected a double and a single. However, the offense was held to 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base.
 
The Scarlet Knights used seven different pitchers in the game. Sophomore Eric Reardon, redshirt junior Ryan Wares and sophomore Tevin Murray all logged scoreless appearances. Freshman Eric Heatter (1-1) took his first loss in the start. Dante Biasi (1-2) earned the win for the visitors with one run allowed over six innings.
 
Heatter started off with two zeros to raise the RU pitching staff's streak to 22.1 consecutive innings without permitted an unearned. Ending that, Connor Klemann broke the seal with a solo home run to give Penn State (7-11, 1-2) the lead to start the third. Another would cross later in the inning and four more ran home in the fourth to make it 6-0.
 
Matera then lifted a solo shot to left field for his eighth career long ball in the bottom of the fourth. That was all Rutgers scored until the seventh when junior Luke Bowerbank reached on an error and came in on a fielder's choice grounder hit by junior Tyler McNamara. In the ninth, senior Kyle Walker extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single. He later touched the plate after an error. Penn State added insurance runs in both the seventh and ninth.
 
The Scarlet Knights will stay at home to host Princeton on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the first meeting between the programs since 2012. BTN Plus and WRSU 88.7-FM will have the action from Bainton Field.
 
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