Penn State entered its first, and potentially last, elimination game of the tournament as it took on USC in a winner-take-all game for Pool D.
In a low-scoring affair, the Nittany Lions took down the Trojans to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, 2-1.
The blue and white got on the board early. An RBI single from third baseman Bryce Molinaro allowed centerfielder Paxton Kling to score from second, putting the team up 1-0 in the first inning.
Penn State worked the pitch count of USC starting pitcher Caden Aoki during the early innings. Long at-bats and the ability to stay alive with foul balls pushed Aoki’s pitch count to 46 through two innings of work, but Aoki kept the score at 1-0, allowing the Trojans to get the bats going in the second inning.