Oct. 11, 2007
The past week was a busy one for the Penn State baseball team both on and off the playing field as the team continued its fall practice schedule, participated in the United Way Day of Caring and completed a pair of weekend intrasquad scrimmages at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
On Thursday, October 4, the entire team volunteered for the Centre County United Way Day of Caring with the Centre County Historical Society at the Centre Furnace Mansion located at 1100 East College Avenue in State College. Team members spent the morning and afternoon doing a variety of landscaping, gardening and general maintenance work on the historic site. This marked the second straight year that the team volunteered at the mansion.
On the baseball diamond, the squad competed in two more scrimmages with the Friday game finishing in an 8-8 tie after all of the available pitchers used up their allotment of innings. The Sunday affair then went to the White team by a count of 8-2. This marked the fourth of six consecutive weekends during the Fall season in which the players have participated or will participate in intrasquad games.
The Friday contest saw the Blue team jump to early leads of 4-0 and 7-2, before a furious White rally tied the game, where it ended deadlocked. In the top of the third, the Blue team strung together six straight hits off White starter Ryan Stobart to plate four runs. With one out, Wes Borden and Grant Youngblood singled to set the table for Rick Marlin who singled to score Borden. Cory Wine then blasted a double to deep left-center which chased home Youngblood and Marlin to make it 3-0. Following an infield hit by Ryan Boonie, Bobby Jacobs singled home Wine to plate the fourth run of the frame.
The White rallied back in the bottom of the inning off Blue starter T.J. Macy, when Gordie Atkisson singled with one out, moved to second on a groundout and scored on an RBI by Brian Ernst. Back to back hits by Jack Greenberg and Scott Kelley brought home Ernst to close the gap to 4-2. However, the Blue team hung up three more runs in the top of the fourth to widen the gap to 7-2. Dave Lutz reached on an error and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. With two outs, Wine delivered his second RBI hit of the day when he singled home Youngblood, who had walked. A double to left by Boonie chased home Wine all the way from first to complete the scoring in the inning.
The White wasted no time in closing the gap with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Ben Heath reached on an error to lead off the inning and after a pair of infield outs scored when Landon Nakata singled to center. Nakata went to third on a Ernst single and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-4.
The Blue tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, when Wine coaxed a two-out walk from reliever Drew O'Neil, stole second and raced home on Boonie's third hit of the day, but the White refused to go quietly and closed the gap in the bottom of the inning. Drew Yukelson rapped a leadoff double to left and following a walk by Nakata, scored on Ernst's third hit of the game. After a walk to Kelley to load the bases, Joe Blackburn singled home Nakata and Ernst to make it a one run game at 8-7.
Down to their final three outs, the White tied it in the seventh off Mike Pierce when Louie Picconi singled, moved to second on Heath's sacrifice bunt and scored on an RBI base hit by Yukelson. Pierce retired the final two hitters to preserve the 8-8 tie.
Cory Wine had three hits and three RBIs in last weekend's scrimmages. |
The game saw both teams pound out eleven hits with Boonie leading the Blue and Ernst leading the White with three hits apiece. Boonie and Ernst both finished the day with a pair of RBI's. Other top hitters for the Blue were Wine, who reached base in all four plate appearances and drove in three with a single and a double, Rick Marlin, who singled and tripled, and Jacobs, who continued his torrid pace with a pair singles in four trips. For the White, Yukelson contributed a single and a double and Nakata scored a pair of runs while Blackburn drove in two.
In general, it was a rough day for Nittany Lion pitchers as all six of the hurlers to take the mound gave up runs. T.J. Macy pitched four innings for the Blue allowing four runs, two of which were earned, on six hits while walking one and striking out two. Macy was relieved by Lutz, who surrendered three earned runs on three hits in two innings of work while striking out two and walking two. Pierce pitched the seventh and allowed a run on two hits and added a strikeout.
For the White, Stobart went three innings plus allowing five runs on seven hits. He walked one and fanned five in his outing. Chris Sobota took the ball next and relinquished a pair of unearned runs on two hits in two innings of work. Sobota struck out three and issued one free pass. O'Neil closed it for the White, allowing a single run on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk in his two frames.
In the Sunday matchup, the White team rallied off Blue starter Seth Whitehill in the bottom of the second. Wine and Marlin both drew one-out walks and came home on Boonie's perfectly placed double to right-centerfield. Boonie scored a batter later when Nakata singled him home.
The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when Wine greeted reliever Mike Lorentson with a single and moved up to second on a Marlin walk. Kelley then laid down a perfect bunt to third base that he beat out and the throw caromed off Kelley, allowing Wine to score and Marlin to move to third. Boonie then came through again with an RBI single to plate Kelley. Following a sacrifice by Nakata, Wes Borden doubled home Kelley and Boonie and subsequently scored on an Ernst double to make it 8-0.
The Blue team got on the board in the top of the eighth off reliever Lutz, when Davin Strouse drew a walk and scored all the way from first on Picconi's triple. Picconi came home two hitters later on a double by Jack Greenberg to set the final 8-2 margin.
White starting pitcher Mike Wanamaker turned in a dominating performance in earning the win. Wanamaker pitched five scoreless innings allowing just three hits and striking out six Blue hitters. Dave Hine tossed a perfect two innings of relief, retiring the side in order in both the sixth and seventh inning. Lutz pitched one inning and allowed two runs on two hits, while walking two and striking out one. Sobota threw the final frame, setting the Blue down 1-2-3 while striking out one.
For the Blue, Whitehill pitched five innings allowing three runs all of which were earned on five hits while walking two and fanning five. Lorentson, making his first appearance in two weeks, pitched a pair of innings and was nicked for five runs on seven hits with a strikeout and a walk. Pierce closed out the game by pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth, surrendering one hit and whiffing one hitter.
The team will once again scrimmage this weekend with the games tentatively scheduled for 6:30 pm on Friday and 1:00 pm on Sunday. In addition, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park will be open to the public prior to Saturday's football game with Wisconsin. Several members of the team will be available for autographs and to meet fans between 1:30 and 2:30 on the stadium concourse. All of the aforementioned events are open to the public and admission is free.