| Scott Gummo and the Nittany Lions ended their four-game series with Iowa on a high note, winning 11-10 in six innings on Sunday. For more photos from this weekend's set with Iowa, click here. |
University Park, Pa. - Brian Ernst's one-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning scored pinch runner Rick Marlin from second base and gave the Penn State Nittany Lions an 11-10 win over Iowa in the final game of the weekend four-game series. The game was shortened to just six innings due to a 12:30 p.m. curfew that was agreed upon before the game. The time restriction was necessary so that Iowa could catch its flight back home from Harrisburg just after 4:00 p.m. today.
Though the game was three innings short of regulation, it had more fireworks in it than some nine inning games. After Penn State took a 3-1 lead entering the fourth inning, the Hawkeyes scored eight runs in the top of the fourth to take a 9-3 lead. However, the Nittany Lions bounced back and scored six of their own in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a grand slam by Lance Thompson, to tie the game 9-9. Each team then scored a single run in the fifth inning and with it obvious to both teams that the sixth inning would be the last frame of the game with 12:30 fast approaching, both closers entered in the sixth. Gary Amato stranded an Iowa runner at third to keep the Hawkeyes off the scoreboard, leading to Ernst's heroics in the bottom of the inning.
A game the featured 10 pitchers, 21 hits and 15 walks combined for both teams, nine for Iowa and six for Penn State, had an appropriate beginning, as Nate Price led off with a solo home run to right field off Aaron Markowitz in what would be a harbinger of things to come. The Lions tied things up in the bottom of the first as Scott Gummo's sacrifice fly drove in Ernst, who had led off with a walk. In the bottom of the second, Scott Gaffney also led off with a walk and two outs later, after a stolen base, scored on Garrett Field's RBI single to center. In the third, off relieverSteve Turnbull, who came in for Travis Sweet after only two innings, Matt Cavagnaro also led off by drawing a walk and after another single and a sacrifice bunt, scored on Jim Leitgeb's sacrifice fly, giving Penn State a 3-1 lead.
The eight-run fourth for Iowa began by Ben Geelan drawing a leadoff walk. Dusty Napoleon then homered off the right field foul pole to tie the game at three. The next two hitters reached on a single and hit by pitch and were sacrificed over. One scored on an RBI single by L.J. Mims and the other came around on a throwing error by Gaffney on Mims infield single. Price following with another single, which sent Mims to third and spelled the end of the day for Markowitz. Reliever Steve Cline came on the first batter he faced laid down another sacrifice bunt that scored Mims and moved up Price. That was followed by four straight singles, which produced the final three runs of the inning. The final out came on a pickoff as Cline picked off Kevin Hoef at first.
Instead of being deflated after Iowa's big inning, the Nittany Lions came right back and put up their own crooked number on the scoreboard with a six-run fourth. Cory Wine led off with a single but he was forced at second on a fielder's choice by James Spinelli, who was able to beat out his grounder to short to avoid the double play. His hustle down the line would prove valuable, as after Garrett Field drew a walk, Ernst grounded out to second, but the ball was hit too softly to get two, moving Spinelli and Field up a base each. Cavagnaro drew a walk to load the bases and Gummo following with another walk to drive in one run. Lefty Steve Zinn came on for Turnbull to face the lefty Thompson, who turned on a 1-0 pitch and deposited it over the right field wall for a grand slam, his second career slam, his other one coming as a freshman against Northwestern on April 18, 2003. Penn State was not done yet, however, as Leitgeb followed Thompson's blast by drawing another walk. Gaffney then singled off the shortstop's glove and Wine drove in Leitgeb with a single to right to tie the game off Scott Brune, who had come on for Zinn after Zinn failed to record an out.
Scott Kelley came on in relief of Cline to start the fifth inning and gave up a one-out triple to Jason White. Penn State brought the infield in and got what it wanted, a ground ball right at an infielder. But Gummo had to dive to stab Mims grounder and by the time he got to his feet, his only sure play was at first with White running on contact, allowing Iowa to take the 10-9 lead.
Penn State squared things up again in the bottom of the fifth, with its entire rally coming with two outs. Gummo singled to center and then Thompson hit what appeared to be a routine ground ball to second to end the inning but the ball took a bad hop and bounced all the way up and off the face of Hawkeye second baseman Ryan Gryzwa, allowing Thompson to get all the way to second for a double and Gummo to get to third. Then, on a wild pitch, Gummo was able to slide home safely, getting in under the tag of Brune, although the throw to the plate had gotten there before Gummo. Iowa closer Tim Gudex was then summoned to get the final out of the inning.
With it being obvious that the sixth inning would be the final inning of the same, Amato came on for the top of the sixth and issued a walk to Sweet, who had stayed in the game as the DH after being pulled as the starting pitcher. He was sacrificed to second and and advanced to third on a groundout. But he was stranded there as Hoef lined out softly to Cavagnaro at second.
In the bottom of the sixth, Wine led off with a single up the middle off Gudex, who had given up just three hits in over 15 innings of work entering the game. He was pinch run for by Marlin and Marlin went to second on Spinelli's sacrifice. Colin Runt, a .214 hitter, pinch hit for Field and was intentionally walked so the Hawkeyes could set up the double play possibility but also have to face Ernst, Penn State's leading hitter at .333. Ernst smacked the first pitch he saw from Gudex over the head of the center fielder for the game-winning double.
Amato picked up the win, his third win of the year, and now leads the pitching staff in wins. Gudex got the loss, his first of the year.
Penn State (8-21, 3-5 Big Ten) will next play on Wednesday on Beaver Field as Duquesne comes to town for a 3:00 p.m. game. The Lions will also remain at home next weekend to take on Michigan State in a four-game series.