| Brian Ernst went 3-for-4 in game one and then had two RBI in game two. |
- Game 1 Box Score
- Game 2 Box Score
- Photos
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; May 5, 2007 ?C Penn State used a stellar pitching performance by Seth Whitehill (Bellefonte, Pa.) in game one and then scored eight runs in the first two innings of game two to sweep Purdue in a Big Ten doubleheader on Saturday by scores of 4-1 and 11-2. This weekend??s series is being played on Saturday and Sunday, with doubleheaders on both days, due to final exams at Purdue this week and at Penn State next week.
In the first game, a nine-inning contest, Whitehill threw seven shutout innings to pick up his team-leading fifth win of the year and the fourth in his last five starts to improve to 5-4 on the year and lower his ERA to 4.83, the first time it has been under 5.00 this year since his first start. He struck out a season-high seven, just one off his career high, and allowed just four hits while also not walking any for the first time this year. Matt Ogrodnik (Saltsburg, Pa.) picked up his third save of the year by pitching the final two innings, allowing three hits and just one unearned run.
Whitehill worked out of his only real jam of the game in the fourth inning. After only a pair of singles through the first three frames, he allowed a leadoff double to Ryne White and then had runners at second and third with no outs after Garrett Field (Stillwater, Okla.) had a fly ball to Jeff Mojzik go off his glove for an error. But Whitehill struck out the next two hitters and got an infield pop out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Penn State took a 1-0 lead as Joe Blackburn (Sinking Spring, Pa.) tripled to just left of the nook in left-center field with one out and scored on Cory Wine??s (Stillwater, Okla.) single to left. It remained 1-0 as Whitehill allowed just two more baserunners in his final three innings of work.
Ogrodnik kept the Boilermakers off the scoreboard in the eighth, starting a double play off an attempted sacrifice bunt to record the first two outs. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, with Boilermaker starter Matt Bischoff likely tiring entering his eighth inning of work, the Nittany Lions scored three insurance runs to take a 4-0 lead. Scott Gaffney (Westbury, N.Y.) led off with a single and stole second before Bischoff struck out Rob Yodice (Staten Island, N.Y.) for the first out. Bischoff was lifted after that in favor of Andrew Groves, who walked the first two hitters he faced in Blackburn and Wine to load the bases. Mike Deese (Roswell, Ga.) then drove in one run with a fielder??s choice up the middle that shortstop Kyle Reesing made an outstanding play on just to record the out at second. A single up the middle by Rick Marlin (Orlando, Fla.) plated Blackburn and then Brian Ernst (Boyertown, Pa.), who went 3-for-4 in the game, drove in Wine with a single up the middle.
Blackburn went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored in the game while the fifth through eighth hitters each drove in one run apiece.
The Nittany Lions then gave Craig Clark (Phoenixville, Pa.) the most run support he has received all year and did it all early, scoring all 11 runs in the first three innings of the second game, a seven-inning contest. All four runs scored in the first inning came with two outs. After Matt Cavagnaro (Brightwaters, N.Y.) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Gaffney and remained there after the second out, he scored on a single by Blackburn. Wine then singled up the middle and the bases were loaded on a walk to Deese. Marlin then drew a bases-loaded walk and Ernst followed with a two-run single up the middle.
In the second, Cavagnaro led off once again with his second single of the game and Gaffney was plunked with a pitch. Cavagnaro was chased in on a single by Yodice and then Blackburn crushed his second triple of the day to right field to plate Gaffney and Yodice. Blackburn trotted home on a sacrifice fly by Wine.
In the third, Field led off with a single and Cavagnaro followed with his third hit of the game, another single up the middle. Field scored on a single to right by Gaffney, which sent Cavagnaro to third. Yodice was hit by a pitch before Blackburn drove in his fourth run of the night with a sacrifice fly to score Cavagnaro, becoming the first college player to have a four-RBI game at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Gaffney later scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to give the Lions an 11-1 lead.
Purdue scored on run in the top of the third and one in the sixth off reliever Gary Amato (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), who relieved Clark after five innings. Clark allowed just four hits and one run and struck out three while walking one to improve to 4-4 on the year and pick up his third straight win in as many starts. Blackburn went a perfect 3-for-3 in game two and for the day went 5-for-6. Cavagnaro went 3-for-4 with three runs while Wine and Marlin each went 2-for-3.
Sunday??s doubleheader will begin with a seven-inning game at 3:05 p.m. and will be followed by a nine-inning game after that.
Notes: Gaffney??s first-inning sacrifice hit in the second game was his 14th of the year, tying the school record for sacrifices in a season held by Zack Smithlin in 2003. Gaffney is also now tied with teammate Cavagnaro for third place all-time in career sacrifices with 22??.The 11 runs in support of Clark in game two was a season high??.Clark issued a walk with one out in the fifth, ending his streak of 18.2 consecutive innings without allowing a free pass??.The first game marked the third time in Whitehill??s career that he did not allow a run in a start. The others were against Central Connecticut earlier this year, when he pitched six shutout innings, and at Purdue last year, in which he threw the complete-game, seven-inning shutout??.Blackburn now leads the Big Ten with five triples and is just one three-bagger shy of tying the school record for triples in a season, which is held by Kevin Billotte, who had six in 1999. Both Russ Mushinsky (1990) and Michael Campo (2000) also had five triples in a season??.Ernst has hit in his last seven games, a season-best.