March 24, 2008
University Park, Pa. - Penn State battled to the last at-bat in a toughly fought battle against Canisius, but fell 11-6 on Monday afternoon as the Golden Griffins scored four runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to erase a 6-4 Penn State lead after the seventh inning. Down by five runs, the Nittany Lions brought the tying run to the on-deck circle by loading the bases with two outs and Joe Blackburn stung a ball on the line to right field but Canisius right fielder Adam Donato made a running catch going back and to his right to end the game.
The Nittany Lions pounded out 10 hits and were issued 12 walks in the game by three Canisius pitchers but stranded 16 runners on base in the game. Ryan Stobart started for the Nittany Lions and pitched 6.2 strong innings and left with the game tied 4-4 in the seventh, having allowed four runs and struck out five. Seven different Nittany Lions recorded hits, six scored a run, and five registered an RBI in the game. Wes Borden went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI and Brian Ernst went 2-for-4, stealing a base. Joe Blackburn put a tally in nearly every category, notching a hit, run, RBI, stolen base, and a walk.
The Nittany Lions were poised and patient at the plate to start the game, drawing three consecutive walks to load the bases for Blackburn with no outs in the first. He grounded into an RBI fielder's choice, leaving runners at the corners with one out, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the inning with Penn State leading 1-0.
In the bottom of the third inning, Ernst laced a liner into left field and stole second with one out before moving over to third on a Blackburn groundout. Cory Wine then ripped a fastball up the middle, driving in Ernst for Penn State's second run of the game.
Stobart had his only trouble of the day in the fourth as Kevin Mailloux walked and Ryan Asis hit a groundball that took a nasty hop at shortstop to put runners on the corners with no outs. Kevin Mahoney drove them both in with a triple to right center, tying the game at two. He scored on a Connor Burke sacrifice fly to the right field warning track to give the Golden Griffins a 3-2 lead. Alec Cabello followed with a single, but Picconi and Wine executed a 6-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Penn State sat down Canisius in the top of the fifth with another Picconi-led double play. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Blackburn knocked a double to right center, and knocked Sawatzky out of the game. However, his replacement, Matt Weber, held the Lions scoreless in the inning.
Stobart made quick work of the first two Canisius batters in the sixth, but Mahoney hit a solo homerun into the right field bleachers to give the Golden Griffins a 4-2 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Grant Youngblood walked, took second on a balk, and then third on a wild pitch before Picconi walked for the third straight time at the plate. With runners on the corners, Weber balked again, scoring Youngblood and advancing Picconi to second. Borden singled up the middle and took second on the throw to the plate, which was not in time to catch a sliding Picconi. Nakata drew his second walk of the game, but the inning ended with two left on base and the score tied 4-4
Lou Picconi reached base safely in four out of five plate appearances, drawing three walks and getting hit by a pitch. |
Cabello walked to begin the seventh inning, but the Penn State infield went 5-4-3 for its third double play of the afternoon. David Lutz came in to relieve Stobart and preserved the tie, striking out Joseph for the third out.
After the seventh-inning stretch, Blackburn walked and stole second before advancing to third on a Rick Marlin single to right. With one out, runners on the corners, and a tie ballgame, Ryan Boonie reached first on a flawless bunt, which scored Blackburn, the second bunt single of the four games this weekend for Boonie. Youngblood drew his third walk of the game, loading the bases for Picconi, who was hit by a pitch to score the Nittany Lions' sixth run of the game. But reliever Ryan McGorman, the third pitcher of the day for Canisius, came back to strike out Borden and get Nakata on a groundout to end the inning with Penn State holding a slim 6-4 lead.
Mailloux hit an RBI double to right center in the eighth inning to score Kevin Reimer, who had led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, and Mailloux scored on a single by Asis, tying the game once again, 6-6. After Lutz got a groundout for the first out of the inning, Scott Kelley relieved him and hit pitch hitter Brian Burton before getting the second out on a comebacker, putting runners at second and third with two outs. But Donato doubled down the third base line to score two more, breaking the tie and giving Canisius an 8-6 lead.
Penn State nearly went ahead in the eighth inning but fell short by just a couple of feet. After Ernst walked and Wine picked up his second hit of the game, Marlin nearly put the Nittany Lions back in the lead with a shot into the picnic pavilion in left field that barely landed foul, missing the foul pole by just a few feet. Marlin eventually reached on a fielder's choice, putting runners at the corners with two outs. Boonie then hit the ball on the nose, but directly at the centerfielder for the third out.
The Golden Griffins compiled four hits in ninth, scoring three times and swelling their lead to five off both Kelley and Mike Pierce before Paul Cianciolo, fresh out of the first spring football practice of the year, came on and gave up an RBI single up the middle before getting the third out of the inning.
Down 11-6 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Penn State loaded the bases with three consecutive hits by Borden, Nakata and Ernst, but Donato made a great catch on a deeply hit ball to right field by Blackburn to end the game.
Notes: Mahoney's sixth inning homerun was the third ever hit into the right field bleachers in a college game at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Two have now been by opponents, while the lone Penn State one was by Cory Wine....Picconi reached base in four of five plate appearances, drawing three walks and getting plunked once. He has now reached base safely in 15 out of 16 games in which he has recorded at least one plate appearance this year....Penn State went 3-for-3 in stolen bases on Monday and is now 12-for-13 on the year in thefts....The game last three hours and four minutes, the longest game thus far on the year for the Nittany Lions....Landon Nakata returned to the starting lineup after not starting the last three games with back spasms....Ernst has now hit in 13 of 17 games this year to lead the team.