| Craig Clark threw a complete game one-hit shutout to defeat Northwestern on Saturday. He is now 2nd in the Big Ten in strikeouts and 5th in ERA. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 23, 2007 - Craig Clark (Phoenixville, Pa.) was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Monday for the second time this year after a weekend in which he threw a complete-game one-hitter against Northwestern to help the Nittany Lions pick up their first Big Ten series sweep since 2004 and win back-to-back Big Ten series since 2003 with a sweep of the Wildcats. Clark blanked the Wildcats in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader as the Nittany Lions won 1-0.
In Saturday's game, Clark allowed only four baserunners in the entire game, one on the only hit of the game for Northwestern, one on an error, one of a fielder's choice, and the other on a hit batsman, while only allowing one of those runners to get past first base. He faced the minimum through the first four frames, taking a no-hitter into the fifth, and for the game faced only two batters over the minimum in his seven innings. He also retired the last seven batters he faced. He struck out six and did not walk any in his 91-pitch effort for the first individual shutout of the year for a Penn State pitcher. It marked the second time this year that Clark took a no-hitter at least into the fifth inning, as he also took a no-no into the eighth inning against Central Connecticut back on March 23 before giving up his first hit in the eighth and later leaving after completing eight innings.
Clark picked up his second Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award after previously being named the conference Pitcher of the Week on March 6th after tossing eight innings and allowing just four hits and two runs at No. 1 North Carolina on March 3rd. This also marks the fourth time a Penn State pitcher has earned the weekly award from the Big Ten this year, as both Scott Gaffney (Westbury, N.Y.) and Matt Ogrodnik (Saltsburg, Pa.) won the award once apiece this year.