Oct. 19, 2007
This past week, the Penn State baseball team completed another set of scrimmages with the White team sweeping all three games. On Friday, a mid-inning rally propelled the White to a 7-6 come-from-behind win, while on Sunday they rode the starting pitching of Seth Whitehill to a 7-1 victory. On Monday, the White scored nine times in the final two frames to notch a 10-5 triumph and finish off the series sweep.
In Game One, the Blue teamed jumped to an early lead with a pair of unearned runs off White starter Ryan Stobart. With one out, Lou Picconi singled and moved to second when Rob Yodice reached on an infield error. Cory Wine then doubled to right-center knocking in Picconi to get the Blue on the board before Scott Kelley's sacrifice fly plated Yodice. The White battled back in the bottom of the second to tie it 2-2 when Joe Blackburn led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by Rick Marlin. Following a walk by Jack Greenberg to load the bases, Drew Yukelson bounced into a fielder's choice, which scored Blackburn and also allowed Marlin to come home from second when Greenberg's take out slide forced an errant throw on the double play attempt.
The White went on top in the third when Wes Borden singled, advanced to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bobby Jacobs. The Blue answered with three runs of its own in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back singles by Picconi and Yodice started the inning before Wine reached on an error to load the bases. Kelley picked up his second RBI of the day with a groundout before Grant Youngblood hit a sacrifice fly to left that was misplayed. Ryan Boonie followed with a sacrifice fly of his own that scored Wine to make 5-3.
The White battled back in the bottom half of the inning when Jacobs doubled and came home on an RBI two-bagger by Marlin. Two batters later, Yukelson's RBI groundout scored Blackburn, who had walked, to tie the score at 5-5. The White took the lead for good in the sixth with a pair of unearned runs off reliever Chris Sobota. With one out, Borden singled and eventually came around to score following a pair of infield errors. Marlin added a sacrifice fly to push the margin to two before the Blue mounted a push in their final at-bat, using a couple errors and a pair of walks to close the lead to 7-6. With the bases loaded though, reliever Drew O'Neil closed the door on the White victory by retiring Boonie on a grounder to second.
Marlin keyed the White victory with a 3-for-4, two RBI night that also included a double. Borden added a pair of hits and runs scored, while Drew Yukelson drove in two. For the Blue, Picconi had three hits, three runs scored and swiped a pair of bases. Additionally, Ben Heath singled twice, Wine doubled and Kelley and Youngblood both drove in a pair of runs in the loss.
David Lutz picked up the win in relief in last Friday's game. |
On the mound, Stobart hurled five innings for the White, scattering eight hits and allowing five runs, only one of which was earned. He struck out one and walked two. Dave Lutz picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief by striking out three and allowing just one hit. O'Neil saved the game, working an inning while striking out one walking two and giving up an unearned run. T.J. Macy started for the Blue, tossing four innings and surrendered three runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Macy was relieved by Dave Hine, who relinquished a pair of runs on two hits while walking one in an inning of work. Sobota followed and was saddled the loss, working two innings and allowing two unearned runs on a pair of hits and walks. Mike Lorentson pitched a clean eighth inning for the Blue, fanning a batter in his appearance.
The Sunday affair saw the Blue team hop to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Picconi and Rudy Hersh opened the game with singles. Following a botched hit and run play where Picconi was thrown out attempting to steal third, a Kelley single chased home Hersh with the game's initial run. The White team answered in the third when Borden led off the inning with a single and moved to third on Yodice's single to right. Blackburn then bounced into a fielder's choice allowing Borden to score before he was caught stealing for the second out. However, Wine kept the inning alive with a double and scored when Brian Ernst's smash back through the box deflected off pitcher Mike Wanamaker's foot into right field for an RBI double to make it 2-1 White.
The White broke it open in the bottom of the fourth as it sent ten men to plate and tallied four runs. Landon Nakata reached on an error, moved to second on a groundout and advanced home on an RBI single by Yodice. After a Blackburn single, Wine crushed a ball to deep right-center for a two-run double making it 5-1. Following a walk to Ernst and an infield single by Marlin, Youngblood plated Wine with a sacrifice fly. The White added an insurance run in the seventh when Borden reached on a force play, stole second and scored on Blackburn's second hit of the day.
The 7-1 advantage was more than enough for Whitehill who twirled six innings and allowed just one run on seven hits while issuing just one free pass and fanning six Blue hitters. Kelley pitched a perfect seventh with one strikeout to close it out. For the Blue, Wanamaker took the loss going two and two-thirds innings before having to leave after being hit in his foot on Ernst's batted ball. He allowed two runs on three hits while striking out one and walking two. Mike Pierce relived Wanamaker and was roughed up for four runs in two and a third innings, surrendering five hits and walking a batter. Dave Hine closed the game, pitching the final two innings an allowing a run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout.
Wine led the offensive onslaught with a pair of doubles and two RBI's. Yodice and Blackburn both had two singles in the winning effort and Ernst added an RBI double. The Blue team was limited to just seven singles with only Kelley getting multiple hits in the game.
Louie Picconi had three hits, three runs and two stolen bases in a scrimmage last week. |
The Monday contest was limited to just five and a half innings due to the limited number of pitchers available, but the teams crammed plenty of offense into the shortened game as they combined for 18 hits. The Blue team struck first when Borden singled, stole second and came home on a two-out RBI single by Marlin. The White tied it in the bottom of the second when Youngblood doubled and scored when Davin Strouse's grounder was misplayed. The White team took the lead in the third when Nakata singled and advanced to third on a perfectly executed hit and run by Picconi. Nakata scored on Boonie's squeeze bunt to give a 2-1 edge to the White.
The Blue team fired right back with four runs of their own in the top of the fourth when Jack Greenberg reached on an error and Yukelson singled to leadoff the frame. Following a sacrifice bunt by Hersh, Yodice singled home Greenberg and Yukelson to give the Blue a 3-2 advantage. After an Ernst single and a double steal, Borden singled home a pair to make it 5-2.
The White though rallied right back for a four spot of their own when Ben singled before Strouse and Picconi walked to load the bases. Boonie delivered an RBI infield single with the ball deflecting away on the play allowing Strouse to motor home and close the gap to 5-4. Kelley then singled home Picconi sending Boonie to third to tie the score. Boonie then took home when Kelley attempted to steal second and got caught in a rundown.
The White extended their lead in the fifth when Youngblood walked and Heath singled to set the table. Strouse singled in Youngblood to extend the lead to 7-5 in front of Nakata's RBI base hit which scored Heath. An errant pickoff throw brought in Strouse and sent Nakata to third, where he came home on a Picconi groundout to set the final 10-5 margin.
Boonie went 3-for-3 in the victory with two RBI's and three stolen bases. Nakata and Heath each had a pair of singles and runs scored in the win. Borden and Yodice each had two hits and a couple of RBI's for the Blue.
Lorentson picked up the win by throwing four innings and allowing five runs with four earned on six hits. He struck out two and didn't walk a hitter. O'Neil threw two shutout innings in earning the save. He was struck out two, walked a hitter and allowed just one hit. John Karr returned to the mound for the Blue and surrendered five runs with four earned on five hits in three and a third innings of work. He walked three and struck out one. Sobota pitched an inning of relief giving up five runs on six hits and Lutz tossed the final two-thirds and did not allow a run while striking out one.
With Fall practice winding down, the team will conduct its final fall scrimmages of 2007 this weekend. Games are scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm. All of the scrimmages at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park are open to the public and admission is free.