- Box Score
| Rob Yodice went 2-4 and drove in three runs, including two in an 8th-inning rally. |
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.; April 29, 2007 - Penn State fought valiantly, but its second come-from-behind rally of the day fell just short, as the Nittany Lions dropped a heartbreaker in the series finale with Indiana, 8-7.
Down to the final out in the ninth with Landon Nakata (Honolulu, Hawaii) representing the tying run on second base and with Garrett Field (Stillwater, Okla.) - already with two hits in the game - at the plate, the stage seemed to be set for the Nittany Lions to post their 10th come-from-behind victory in the month of April. Another comeback was not to be, however as the Penn State centerfielder lifted a flare into right field that hung up just long enough for right fielder Chris Hervey to get under and the Hoosiers managed to split the four-game series with the streaking Lions.
Penn State, winners of 17 of the last 25 heading into the game, found themselves in a hole early, as Indiana plated a run in the bottom of the first off of starter Gary Amato (Cocoa Beach, Fla.).
Leadoff hitter Keith Haas singled to right and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sterling Mack. A ground ball by Andrew Means appeared to be destined for right field, but was knocked down by a diving Matt Cavagnaro (Brightwaters, N.Y.) who couldn't get the speedy Means at first, but manage to keep runners on the corners with one out. Cleanup hitter Jon Fixler then sent a sacrifice fly to deep left that scored Haas to give the Hoosiers a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Penn State took advantage of two errors by Haas at shortstop to tie the game up at 1-1. With two outs and the bases empty a routine ground ball to short turned into an adventure as Haas' errant throw allowed Brian Ernst (Boyertown, Pa.) to reach base to keep the inning alive. Rick Marlin (Orlando, Fla.) was hit in the helmet by Hoosier starter Eric Arnett, putting runners on first and second with two outs. Nakata followed with another seemingly routine grounder to short that sneaked through Haas' legs and into left field, allowing Ernst to score from second, knotting the game.
In the bottom of the second, Hervey singled to lead off the inning but was quickly erased when he was caught stealing by Penn State catcher Joe Blackburn (Sinking Spring, Pa.) on a failed hit-and-run attempt. Tyler Cox coaxed a walk from Amato and advanced to third on a single up the middle by Brad Henke. Cox trotted home on an RBI groundout to Cavagnaro to put the Hoosiers up 2-1.
| Paul Hawkins worked 4 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk. |
Rob Yodice (Staten Island, N.Y.) provided the Lions with their first base hit of the game with two outs in the top of the third, but was left stranded, as Arnett got Blackburn looking on a sneaky backdoor breaking ball.
Indiana chased Amato in the bottom of the third as Mack walked and advanced to third on a single by Means. Fixler cleared the bases with a two-run double into the right field corner and Paul Hawkins (Glen Hope, Pa.) was brought into the game with nobody out and a runner on second. After taking the ball from head coach Robbie Wine, Hawkins allowed just one more run to cross the plate and pitched around a self-induced error to end the third with IU on top 5-1.
Hawkins would go on to work the next three innings without giving up a run on just two hits and more importantly, kept Penn State in a position to make a comeback.
As the game reached the middle innings, the Penn State hitters were starting to figure out Arnett, as they battled back to tie the game at 5-5 with three runs in the fifth and a single run in the sixth.
Field started the fifth inning rally by laying a perfect bunt down the third base line that Cox resisted fielding, hoping it would roll foul. Cavagnaro walked and Scott Gaffney (Westbury, N.Y.) laid down the first of two sacrifice bunts on the day, putting two runners in scoring position with one out and the heart of the lineup coming to the plate. Yodice brought one run in on an RBI groundout to first and Blackbrun singled Cavagnaro in from third with his team-leading 26th RBI of the season. With two outs, Blackburn advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on another wild pitch that was also ball four to Cory Wine. Ernst struck out swinging but reached safely as the pitch reached the backstop for Arnett's fourth wild pitch, scoring Blackburn. Marlin grounded out to second on a nifty play by Henke to end the threat, but PSU had cut the lead to one, 5-4.
In the top of the sixth, Nakata - starting at third in place of Mike Deese (Roswell, Ga.), who was resting a sore back - hit Arnett's 83rd and final pitch into the right-centerfield gap for a leadoff double. Danny Rosenbaum relieved the Hoosier starter and promptly walked Field on four straight pitches. Cavagnaro laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners into scoring position and forced Indiana to go to their bullpen again, this time bringing in Chris Squires who got Gaffney to go down swinging. With Yodice at the plate, the sixth wild pitch of the day by Hoosier pitching allowed Nakata to score the tying run, making the score even at 5-5.
Both teams were held scoreless until the bottom of the seventh, when Indiana would take the lead for good, scoring three runs - only one earned - off of reliever Matt Ogrodnik (Saltsburg, Pa.), who followed Hawkins' outstanding four innings.
| Garrett Field was 2-4 and scored two runs, sparking two Penn State rallies. |
Means led things off with a single up the middle that just barely skipped over Ogrodnik's glove and into centerfield. He then advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on Fixler's fourth RBI of the day. Tufts sacrificed Fixler to second and Hervey followed with a ground ball that Gaffney backhanded deep in the hole. Trying to emulate the outstanding glove, jump and throw play that he made in the same spot yesterday, Gaffney's throw sailed over the head of first baseman Cory Wine (Stillwater, Okla.), which allowed Fixler to score from second and Hervey to advance into scoring position. A wild pitch and a passed ball in succession brought Hervey to the plate to complete the scoring and put IU on top 8-5.
Penn State, no stranger to dramatic late-inning rallies, cut it to a one-run deficit in the top of the eighth. Field once again started a rally with a hustle double down the right field line and Cavagnaro drew his second walk of the game. Gaffney pushed his second sacrifice bunt down the first base line to move the runners up 90 feet and Yodice pulled his second hit of the game into right field to score the two runs. Squires wriggled off the hook by getting Blackburn and Wine to end the inning, but PSU now trailed by the slimmest of margins, 8-7.
Ogrodnik retired the side in order in the bottom of the 8th on 6 pitches and quickly got the Nittany Lion bats back up to the plate to attempt the ninth-inning rally that fell just short.
Penn State remains in third place in the Big Ten race, but for the first time in more than a week, they have company. Ohio State, winners of three of four over Purdue, are tied with the Nittany Lions at 11-7 in conference. Michigan maintains the top spot after a sweep of Michigan State and Minnesota sits alone in second after taking three of four from Illinois.
PSU opens up a five-game homestand with Villanova coming to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a non-conference match-up on Tuesday night at 6:35. Big Ten play resumes with a key four-game series with Purdue on Saturday and Sunday in State College.
Tickets for all Penn State home games can be purchased by calling 1-877-99-SPIKES or online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets.