| Penn State will look to even the series with Michigan State Sunday at 1 p.m. For more photos from Saturday's doubleheader, click here. |
University Park, Pa.; April 15, 2006 - Penn State was unable to hold a 4-3 lead going into the seventh inning of game one and then once again down to their final out in the bottom of the seventh in game two, rallied to tie the score but in extra frames fell once again as Michigan State swept the twinbill from the Nittany Lions and took a 2-1 lead in the series. The Spartans prevailed by 9-5 and 6-4 scores.
In the first game, Michigan State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Steve Gerstenberger. The Nittany Lions came right back to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second on the strength of four singles, including RBI hits by Brian Ernst and Matt Cavagnaro. The Spartans tied it at two in the top of the fourth on another solo homer, this one by Alan Cattrysse. One inning later, in the bottom of the fifth, Penn State took the lead on a two-out RBI single by Jim Leitgeb that scored Cavagnaro, who had drawn a leadoff walk. The Spartans would tie the game again in the top of the sixth as Oliver Wolcott singled up the middle off reliever Matt Ogrodnik, who had relieved starter Mark Wyner after Wyner had given up a two-out double to Sean Walker.
Penn State took the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth as Cory Wine led off with a double, was sacrificed to third, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Garrett Field. In the top of the seventh, Steve Cline was brought in to pitch but gave up consecutive singles to Ryan Basham and Kyle Day before getting an out on a fielder's choice. He left with runners on the corners in favor of Gary Amato. Pitching for the second straight day after picking up the win yesterday, Amato gave up a single through the left side to Cattrysse to score Basham with the tying run. He gave up another single to Gerstenberger to load the bases before getting Walker to pop up on a bunt attempt and then getting a foul out by Wolcott to end the inning.
The Nittany Lions were unable to take advantage of a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh as there was a double play and then with two outs, Thompson doubled to left center but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Michigan State would score five in the top of the eighth to take a 9-4 lead. Amato gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk, and an RBI double to Day before being replaced by Paul Hawkins. He intentionally walked the first batter he faced to load the bases and set up a force at all bases. He then retired Cattrysse on a foul pop up but then Gerstenberger struck the big blow of the inning, a three-run, bases-clearing triple to right field. Walker then walked and with runners at the corners, the Spartans executed a double steal that allowed Gerstenberger to scored the fifth run of the inning. Penn State was able to push across one run in its half of the eighth as James Spinelli singled in Wine, who had doubled, but it was not enough after the Spartans' breakout in the top of the inning.
Jeff Gerbe pitched a complete game for the Spartans, allowing 10 hits and five runs while walking four and striking out just two, but he still picked up the win while throwing 121 pitches. Amato got the loss for PSU, falling to 4-2. Wine led the Nittany Lion offense by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Michigan State had control of the second game for most of the contest, as they outhit Penn State 12-4 and had a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh. The Spartans scored one in the second, third, fifth, and sixth innings. An RBI double by Wolcott in the second, an RBI single and double by Basham, and a solo home run by E.J. Daws accounted for their runs. An RBI double by Wine in the Penn State second that scored Scott Gaffney, who had singled, accounted for Penn State's lone run up until the seventh.
In the seventh, with Spartan starter John Dwan over 100 pitches, he was lifted for Nolan Moody, who walked leadoff pinch hitter Landon Nakata. Moody was yanked after just one hitter in favor of Spencer Hahn, who got the next two outs of the inning. But then second baseman Cattrysse booted Cavagnaro's ground ball that would have ended the game, leaving runners at first and second. In came A.J. Dunn for the Spartans, and he issued a four-pitch walk to Scott Gummo to load the bases. After Colin Runt pinch ran for Gummo at first, Dunn committed a balk, allowing one run to score and then Lance Thompson doubled home the other two runs to tie the game 4-4. Penn State was unable to win the game on another hit as the fourth MSU pitcher of the inning, Mike Monterey came on and struck out Jim Leitgeb to send the game to extra frames, the third straight extra-inning game of the weekend for the Spartans and Nittany Lions.
Both teams went down in order in the eighth. Penn State starter Seth Whitehill, not yet at the 100 pitch mark in his first Big Ten start, came back out for the ninth but yielded a leadoff walk to Gerstenberger. Then, on an attempted pitchout, the pitch was not far enough outside and Daws reached for the pitch and was able to bloop it into short right field for a single. Right fielder Rick Marlin, who had entered as a defensive replacement after several pinch hitters in the bottom of the seventh, overplayed the ball and let it get by him for an error, allowing Gerstenberger to score the go-ahead run. Ogrodnik entered for the second time in the doubleheader and gave up a sacrifice bunt to Wolcott, allowing Daws to advance to third, before Troy Krider single through the drawn-in infield to give the Spartans a 6-4 lead. Scott Kelley then entered and picked off Krider at first before striking out John Lee to end the inning.
However, the damage was done was the NIttany Lions were set down in order in the bottom of the ninth by Monterey, who picked up the win to improve to 4-5 after getting the loss in yesterday's game. Whitehill, despite pitching eight full innings and giving the Lions a chance to win by allowing just the four runs through the first eight innings, got the loss and is now 0-1. He allowed 11 hits and six runs, only five earned. He struck out two and walked one.
The teams will wrap up their series tomorrow with a scheduled nine-inning game at 1:00 p.m.
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