| Brian Ernst went a combined 4-for-6 in Saturday's doubleheader, including driving in the only run of the first game in Penn State's 1-0 victory. |
- Game 1 Box Score
- Game 2 Box Score
- Photos
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 21, 2007 ?C A record Penn State baseball crowd of 3,946 gathered at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for Saturday??s doubleheader against Northwestern was treated to a fireworks show for the second straight night after the game. Preceding the actual fireworks, however, the Penn State baseball team treated the record crowd to some offensive fireworks in the second game of the twinbill, winning 11-5 and also winning the first game 1-0 behind the pitching of Craig Clark (Phoenixville, Pa.) to sweep the doubleheader and go up 3-0 in the series.
The win also moves Penn State up to third place in the Big Ten with an 8-5 record, behind only Minnesota and Michigan. The 11 runs scored in game two marks the third time in the last nine games that the Nittany Lions have scored in double digits. Freshman John Karr (Gibsonia, Pa.) picked up his first collegiate win by throwing one and two-thirds innings of relief in game two, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Clark threw a complete game one-hitter in the first game, allowing just four baserunners in the entire game, only one of which made it past first base. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning after facing the minimum through four before Caleb Fields broke it up with a single through the left side for the Wildcats?? only hit of the first game.
Pitching nearly equally as well as Clark was Northwestern starter Ryan Myers, who allowed only three hits but got stuck with the hard luck loss after allowing an unearned run in the fourth inning. He stranded the bases loaded in the first inning after issuing a pair of two-out walks to load the bases and also stranded a runner at third in the second.
In the fifth, after the first two hitters of the inning were set down, Rick Marlin (Orlando, Fla.) reached on a throwing error by third baseman Jake Owens and reached second. He scored on a single to left by Brian Ernst (Boyertown, Pa.) for the only run of the game. Penn State had just two baserunners the remainder of the game.
Meanwhile, Clark retired the last seven batters of the game, pitching out of his only jam of the game in the fifth. After giving up the leadoff single to Fields and then getting Jake Goebbert to fly out for the first out, he hit Mike Kalina with a pitch. Aaron Newman then lifted a fly ball to right field that Marlin dropped but recovered in time to barely nip Kalina at second to the second out of the inning. Clark then struck out Tony Vercelli looked on a 1-2 pitch to end the inning. Clark struck out six and for the first time this year did not walk anybody.
The offensive fireworks began in the game two in the top of the first as Northwestern used five hits and a walk to score three runs off Penn State starter Ryan Stobart (Barrington, Ill.). Newman led off with a single, followed by a walk to Jake Owens. One out later, Goebbert singled up the middle to drive in Newman and Fields followed that an RBI double to score Owens. Mike Deese (Roswell, Ga.) then threw out Goebbert at home on a ground ball to him but Tommy Finn then reached on a bunt single to score Fields and make it 3-0.
That lead would not last for long, however, as Penn State jumped all over Wildcat starter Joe Muraski for five runs in the bottom of the first, getting three hits, drawing three walks and also benefiting from an error. All five runs were scored with two outs. With Scott Gaffney (Westbury, N.Y.) on second with two outs after a single and a stolen base, Joe Blackburn (Sinking Spring, Pa.) walked and Deese followed with a single up the middle to drive in Gaffney. Ernst then drew the second walk of the inning and a double by Marlin chased home both Blackburn and Deese to tie the game. After a walk to Scott Kelley (Arlington Heights, Ill.) reloaded the bases, Jim Leitgeb (Elkton, Md.) lifted a pop up into short left field that the shortstop Finn caught but had it pop out of his glove for an error, allowing both Ernst and Marlin to scoot home to make it 5-3.
Newman was plunked by Stobart to begin the second and he went to second on Owens?? single. After Stobart got the first out of the frame, Newman scored on an RBI single to right by Goebbert to cut the lead to 5-4 and end the day for Stobart. Karr trotted in and was greeted by a single through the left side by Fields but Kelley??s strong throw nailed Owens at the plate for the second out of the inning to keep the Nittany Lions on top. Karr then retired Kalina on a fly ball to center to end the threat.
Karr worked the third inning as well, pitching around a one-out walk before Paul Hawkins (Glen Hope, Pa.) came in and pitched two perfect innings in the fourth and fifth. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions opened up the game with three runs each in their half of the fourth and fifth. An RBI double by Landon Nakata (Honolulu, Hawaii), who had replaced Deese at third, scored Gaffney in the fourth, and Blackburn also scored when Newman had trouble coming up the ball in center field. Marlin singled home Nakata after Ernst had reached on a bunt single. All three runs once again scored with two outs.
In the fifth, Blackburn plated two more with a double to deep center field and then Nakata followed with his first career triple to drive home Blackburn. Northwestern scored its last run in the sixth as a runner scored when Penn State turned a double play. Drew O??Neil (Roswell, Ga.) worked a perfect seventh in a non-save situation, his first action of the weekend.
Gaffney went 3-for-3 and scored three runs while Blackburn also scored three runs while going 2-for-3. Nakata went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI after entering the game in the third inning while Ernst and Marlin each had two hits apiece as well. Marlin had three RBI.
Tomorrow, Penn State will go for its first sweep in a Big Ten series since the 2004 season when the Lions swept Illinois on the road April 30th through May 2nd. The last sweep at home for the Nittany Lions was in 2001 against Michigan State, May 11th-13th. Gaffney will get the start for the Nittany Lions at 1:05 p.m.
Notes: The Nittany Lions wore orange t-shirts during batting practice and infield prior to the first game to honor the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy??.State Senator Jake Corman threw out of the ceremonial first pitch of game one and Anthony P. Lubrano, whom Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is named after, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before game two??.In-between games, all Penn State baseball alumni who came back to State College for Alumni Weekend were recognized and honored, including Lubrano, who was presented with a framed picture of the stadium??.Todd Blackledge and Greg Garrity, members of the 1982 national championship football team, were also in attendance at the doubleheader??.Clark??s one-hitter in game one was the fewest hits allowed by a Penn State pitcher since Mark Wyner allowed only two hits against Purdue last year on May 7th. His seven-inning complete-game shutout was the first since Seth Whitehill shut out Purdue in the third game of the four-game series last year, also on May 7th??.Blackburn had his eight-game hitting streak snapped in the first game but he had still reached base safely in 10 consecutive games and in 21 of his last 22 games. He is hitting .500 (20-for-40) in those last 10 games and .437 (38-for-87) in his last 22 contests??.Penn State was a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases in the doubleheader and for the series are a perfect 8-for-8 in steal attempts. They will attempt to complete their third series of the year perfect in stolen base attempts tomorrow??.Gaffney is now a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen bases this year after stealing two in game two??.As a team, the Nittany Lions are 36-for-43 in stolen bases this year, a success rate of nearly 84 percent??.Karr became the first Nittany Lion freshman pitcher to record a victory this season??.Ogrodnik made his Big Ten-leading 18th appearance in game two.