March 23, 2008
University Park, Pa. - A pitcher's duel between Mike Wanamaker of Penn State and Greg Angelo of Lehigh in what was scheduled to be a seven-inning game went to extra innings was decided in the ninth on a go-ahead, two-run single by Joe Ercolano, giving the Mountain Hawks a 3-1 win Sunday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader. The Nittany Lions threatened to score several times in the later innings but were unable to push across the go-ahead run after taking a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Wanamaker allowed just one run and five hits over seven innings but left with the game tied and got a no decision. Paul Hawkins took the loss as he gave up a pair of walks and hit a batter after recording the first two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Angelo worked eight innings and gave up four hits and one run for Lehigh, escaping several jams along the way.
Wanamaker kept Lehigh's bats quiet in the first portion of the game, pitching shutout baseball through four innings.
With the exception of a Rick Marlin single, the Nittany Lion bats were quiet until the fourth. After Angelo walked Wine and Marlin in the bottom half of the inning, Ryan Boonie, making his first career start, lined a single into left field on a nicely executed hit-and-run play to drive in the first run of the game.
The Mountain Hawks answered right back in the top of the fifth as they got a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly off Brendan McGaheran's to equal the score at one.
Penn State put its leadoff man on in both the sixth and seventh innings but in the sixth had a runner cut down at home plate and in the seventh were victims of a line drive out the ended the frame. In the sixth, Joe Blackburn led off by reaching on an error and went to second on Marlin's one-out walk. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, forcing Lehigh to play the infield in. Scott Kelley then hit a ball directly to the shortstop McGaheran and he threw out Blackburn, who was running on contact, at home.
Rick Marlin reached base in three of four plate appearances. |
In the bottom of the seventh, after Wanamaker had set down the Mountain Hawks in order in his final inning of work in the top of that frame, Jack Greenberg led off with a single up the middle. He was sacrifice to second by Wes Borden. Picconi then flied out to left for the second out and Ernst then got a good pitch to hit and lined a ball toward right field but it was snagged out of the air by a leaping Geoff Campbell at first to keep the game tied and send it to extra innings.
Hawkins came in to pitch for Penn State in the eighth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth. After getting the first two hitters in the ninth, he walked Billy Swenson, hit Dan Clauson with a pitch and then walked Billy Goodman to load the bases. Drew O'Neil relieved him and worked Ercolano to a two-stroke count before giving up an infield grounder that found its way under the glove of a diving Wine at first, driving in two runs. However, a relay throw from Lou Picconi to Joe Blackburn caught Billy Goldman trying to score from first for the third out.
Jordan Warncke set down Penn State in order in the bottom half of the inning to close out the game.
Notes: The Medlar Field at Lubrano Park grounds crew as well as Penn State and State College Spikes support staff worked diligently for most of the day Saturday and on Sunday morning to clear the snow from the field so that the games could be played today....After notching his first career hits and RBI on Friday, Ryan Boonie made his first career start today and recorded his third RBI of the series....A snow-covered Medlar Field pushed Sunday's game back a half-hour past its initial start time....Penn State put together its third errorless game of the year.