April 12, 2008
West Lafayette, Ind. - Penn State outhit Purdue 7-6 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader but was unable to capitalize enough on scoring chances on both the second and third innings and after knocking out the Purdue starter in the third inning, was unable to get anything off the Boiler bullpen as Purdue edged the Nittany Lions 4-1.
The win give the Boilermakers a 3-0 lead in the series and for the second straight weekend, Penn State will head into Sunday's game looking to avoid a sweep, which they were successful in doing last Sunday.
Brian Ernst broke out of a mini slump by going 3-for-4 while Cory Wine extended his hitting streak to seven games by going 1-for-3 while scoring Penn State's only run of the game. Wes Borden knocked in the only run of the game for Penn State with an RBI single. Mike Lorentson pitched his first career complete game as he went all six innings, allowing six hits and four runs, all earned. He struck out two and walked two and worked out of some jams to keep the game within reach.
In the first, Ernst led off by driving the first pitch of the game all the way to the wall in left for a leadoff double but he was stranded at third after a pair of groundouts to second sandwiched around a strikeout. Purdue took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Jordan Comadena successfully laid down a squeeze bunt to score Ben Wolgamot from first.
 Wes Borden knocked in the only run of the game for Penn State.  | |
Penn State tied it in the second inning and the Lions strung together three straight singles to start off the inning. Wine led off with a single through the right side and Rick Marlin followed with an infield hit. Wes Borden then slapped a single to left to score Wine. However, Grant Youngblood then grounded into a double play, putting Marlin at third with two outs, and Lou Picconi grounded out to end the inning.
In the third, Ernst led off with another hit on the first pitch from Purdue starter Allan Donato, this one a single to center. Donato then plunked Landon Nakata with a pitch high and tight. Rob Yodice then flew out to left but Donato walked Joe Blackburn to load the bases with one out. He was lifted in favor of Matt Jansen, who struck out both Wine and Marlin to end the threat.
Borden drew a leadoff walk in the fourth but was picked off. That play would prove to be big because with two outs, Picconi singled to center and Ernst followed with his third hit of the day, an infield hit that both runners moved up on after the throw to first went wild. But Nakata grounded out to first to end that threat. That would be the beinning of 10 straight Penn State hitters being set down as the Nittany Lions went down in order in the final three innings. Jensen gave up just two hits and struck out three while walking one while Purdue closer Josh Lindblom set down the side in order in the seventh.
Lorentson picked off a Purdue runner as well in the third but ran into trouble in the fourth as he gave up three straight one-out doubles to Comadena, Dan Black and Eric Nielsen that led to two runs. A leadoff double by Brandon Haveman, a wild pitch to move him over to third and a sacrifice fly by Ryne White in the fifth gave the Boilers the 4-1 lead.
The Nittany Lions and Boilermakers will play the series finale at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Notes: Nakata has reached base safely in 12 straight games and in 24 out of 27 games he has played this year....Nakata has also reached base safely in 20 of his last 30 plate appearances....Wine's seven-game hitting streak is one off his career high, which was set earlier this year....Picconi arrived just prior to the start of the first game of Saturday's doubleheader after attending to a family matter and missing the game on Friday.