March 1, 2008
Coach Wine's Postgame Podcast Interview (3-1) (mp3)
Dothan, Ala. - Landon Nakata bashed his first career home run to give Penn State an early 2-0 lead and after Kennesaw State tied the game, Penn State went back ahead in the middle innings and then held on in the later frames behind the strength of Paul Hawkins and Drew O'Neil out of the bullpen as the Nittany Lions recorded their second win of the year with a 4-3 victory over Kennesaw State.
Mike Lorentson rebounded from his tough start last weekend at High Point and turned in a solid performance to pick up his first win of the season and even his record at 1-1. He pitched 6.1 innings, allowed six hits and three runs, struck out three and walked one. He left the game with runners on first and second and one out in the seventh with a 4-2 lead. Hawkins came on and despite throwing a wild pitch that allowed the runners to move up and a groundout the allowed the Owls to pull within one run at 4-3, he induced a fly ball to get out of the jam. He then pitched around an error and a single in the eighth inning to keep the Owls off the scoreboard and turn the game over O'Neil in the ninth. The All-American candidate did not allow a ball out of the infield in the ninth, getting a pair of groundouts and a strikeout while pitching around a one-out walk to pick up his second save of the year.
Penn State struck first in the first inning as both Brian Ernst and Nakata swung at pitches early in the count to get on base and put the Nittany Lions up. Ernst put the first pitch of the game through the hole in the right side of the infield for a leadoff single and then Nakata took a 1-0 pitch deep over the wall in left field for his first career home run to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead. Primarily a reserve for his first two years with the Nittany Lions, Nakata has hit in each game that he has started this year and now has an extra-base hit in three of his four games played this year.
Brian Ernst went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. |
The lead did not last long, however, as the Owls evened things up with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, though it may have been more if not for Rob Yodice throwing out a runner trying to steal third base with one out. After the caught stealing, Ric Bishop beat out an infield single and Andrew Martin followed with a single through the left side. Then, Drew Fowlkes grounded a single through the right side to score Bishop and then Martin came home to score as Fowlkes got caught in a rundown between first and second and Martin was able to beat the throw home after Yodice had thrown to second to start the rundown.
Lorentson encountered some trouble in the third and fifth innings but got out of it both times. He got out of a first and second, one-out situation in the third by getting a pair of groundouts and pitched around a one-out double in the fifth, getting a groundout and a strikeout to end the threat.
The Nittany Lions retook the lead with another pair of runs in the fifth. A perfect sacrifice bunt by Scott Kelley advanced Rick Marlin, who had singled to lead off the inning, to second. Wes Borden, who got the start at second base on Saturday, then dumped a single into short right field but Marlin had to hold up at third. Borden was able to scamper down to second on the same play, however, as the throw coming in from right field got away from the cutoff man, far enough to let Borden go to second but not far enough to let Marlin score. That play would prove to important as Ernst lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Marlin and sent Borden to third. Borden was then able to score on a wild pitch from KSU starter Justin Freeman.
Drew O'Neil has recorded saves in both of Penn State's wins this year. |
Both Freeman and reliever Kenny Faulk then set down 10 of the next 11 Nittany Lion hitters before Penn State loaded the bases in the ninth on a double by Cory Wine and an intentional walk and a catcher's interference. But reliever Wes Tignor struck out Borden on a nasty 3-2 breaking pitch to end the inning and preserve the one-run deficit. It did not matter, however, because O'Neil came out in the ninth to mow down the Owls and end the game.
In addition to Nakata's second multi-RBI game of the year, Ernst went 2-for-3 for his team-leading third multi-hit game of the year. Marlin also went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Penn State will wrap up its stay at the ScreenTech Wiregrass Classic in Dothan on Sunday with a morning game against Wake Forest. The game, originally scheduled for a 10:00 a.m. (CT) time start, has been moved up to a 9:00 a.m. (CT)/10:00 a.m. (ET) start due to travel issues for both Wake Forest and Penn State. Seth Whitehill will take the mound for the Nittany Lions.