| Mark Wyner returned to action with a scoreless inning in Tuesday's loss at Kansas. Penn State will next play at Oral Roberts beginning on Thursday. |
- Box Score
LAWRENCE, Kan.; March 13, 2007 ?C Kansas scored five runs in both the first and third innings and four runs in both the second and fifth innings and cruised to an 18-5 win over Penn State on Tuesday evening. Penn State scored its five runs over the final three innings and the Nittany Lion bullpen was able to keep Kansas off the scoreboard for the final three innings.
After Penn State had runners on the corners with one out in the first but failed to score, the Jayhawks broke open the floodgates with a five-run first inning. Kansas sent 10 hitters to the plate and got a double from Robby Price and home runs from Erik Morrison and Ryne Price and also took advantage of a Penn State error to take the 5-0 lead.
The Jayhawks added four more in the second inning as after the first out was made, they slugged out six straight hits, five singles and a double, to make it a 9-0 lead. The Nittany Lions did throw out a Kansas runner on the bases as Brock Simpson was caught rounding first base too far. Whitehill has knocked out of the game after the sixth straight hit in favor of John Karr, who got the final out of the inning on one pitch.
Karr got the first out of the third inning before struggling with his control as he hit a batter and walked the next two to load the bases and end his day. Gary Amato was brought on and gave up two bloop singles around another hit batsman to produce three more runs and then a sacrifice fly by Rudy Kelling and a single by Buck Afenir produced two more runs to make it a 14-0 lead before Amato stuck out the next hitter to end the inning.
Amato put up a zero for Jayhawks in the fourth inning and got two of the first three hitters out in the fifth inning before the second single of the inning and a walk loaded the bases. Lefty reliever David Lutz was then brought in to pitch to the left-handed hitting Robby Price and got a ground ball but the ball was booted by Wine at first for an error, allowing two runs to score and then Kevin Bedford doubled home two more runs.
Penn State loaded the bases with one out in its half of the sixth on a pair of walks and a hit batsman but did not score. Lutz worked a scoreless sixth inning for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions were finally able to put some runs up on the scoreboard in the seventh inning as they pushed across three runs after the first two outs had been made. Jim Leitgeb doubled to deep center field and was driven in a Landon Nakata single. Nakata scored when Joe Blackburn drove a triple to deep center field, the first triple of the year for Penn State. Penn State scored its third run when Scott Kelley singled up the middle to score Blackburn.
Mark Wyner made his first pitching appearance for the Nittany Lions since the second game of the year at Shreveport, La. four weekends ago as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Penn State added two more runs in the top of the eighth as Rick Marlin reached on a two-base throwing error with one out to start things. Rob Yodice then got his first hit since his dramatic game-tying home run at North Carolina two weekends ago with a double to deep left, but Marlin had to hold up not knowing if it would be caught. It would not matter, however, as he scored on a wild pitch. Yodice then scored on a groundout by Brian Ernst.
Mike Lorentson pitched a scoreless eighth inning as Penn State pitchers kept the Jayhawks off the scoreboard for the final three innings.
Penn State will wrap up its spring break trip with a three-game series at Oral Roberts beginning on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. (ET).