April 26, 2008
Champaign, Ill. - Just 30 minutes after completing a suspended game from Friday in which the Nittany Lions yielded 20 runs to Illinois in a nine-inning game, Penn State came back and returned the favor to the Illini as the Nittany Lions pounded out 18 hits, including six home runs, and scored 16 runs in a 16-5 victory over the Illini in the first seven-inning game of Saturday's regularly scheduled doubleheader. Cory Wine and Scott Kelley each homered twice, the first multiple-home run games of their careers, while Rob Yodice and Rick Marlin each homered once.
The game marked the first time in school history that the Nittany Lions scored at least 15 runs just one game after giving up at least 20. Six Nittany Lions recorded multiple hits and four recorded a multi-RBI game. Wine led the way by going 2-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored. Rob Yodice went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs while Brian Ernst went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and RBI. Kelley, playing in his home state, drove in three and went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs. Wes Borden and Landon Nakata each had a trio of hits while Nakata scored three runs.
Mike Wanamaker gave the team and the pitching staff a much-needed boost by pitching his third complete game of the year, scattering 10 hits and striking out five. Four of the five runs he allowed were earned, but he also helped himself by getting the Illini to ground into three double plays, one in each of the first three innings as the Nittany Lions built a 4-1 lead through four before running away with it in the later innings. Penn State scored six runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to break the game open.
The Illini scored first in the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the first as Kyle Hudson doubled to lead off, went to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. That would be the only run the Illini would score, however, until the sixth inning after the Nittany Lions were already up 15-1.
Mike Wanamaker pitched his third complete game of the year to give the pitching staff a lift. |
Kelley deposited his first home run of the day over the fence in right field with two outs in the second inning to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. Ernst had led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch before being forced at second as Wine reached on a fielder's choice.
It remained a 2-1 game until the Nittany Lions extended that to 4-1 with two more runs in the fourth on another two-run home run, this one the first of the day by Wine, a no doubter also to right. Ernst lined the first pitch he saw into right field for a single and Wine followed by crushing the first pitch he saw from starter Aaron Martin far over the fence in right for his second home run in as many games.
Wine was only getting started on the day, however, as in his next at-bat, he crushed another home run to right field, this one a three-run shot, as part of Penn State's six-run fifth inning. The inning started by Borden singling through the right side and Nakata following with another single to the same spot. Borden went to third on a fly out by Joe Blackburn before Yodice singled through the left side to score Borden. Another single on the first pitch by Ernst scored Nakata before Wine took an 0-1 pitch to right center for his second home in as many at bats and his third of the weekend, giving the Lions a 10-1 lead. One out later, Kelley hit his second home run of the game, this one a solo shot to right to make it 11-1.
Back-to-back doubles by Borden and Nakata to lead off the sixth inning produced another run and spelt the end of the day for Martin, who gave up 12 hits and 12 runs, all earned in five plus innings of work. Relief pitcher Wes Braun was greeted by an RBI single to left center by Joe Blackburn and that was followed by Yodice's second home run of the weekend, this one a two-run shot to right center. Braun then set down two straight hitters for the first two outs of the inning before giving up his second home run of the inning and the sixth of the game for the Nittany Lions, this one by Marlin, his first round-tripper of the year, to give the Lions a 15-1 lead.
Brian Ernst went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. |
The Illini scored an unearned run in the sixth but Penn State answered right back in the seventh with another run as Ernst singled in Nakata, who had singled to lead off the inning. Illinois got a three-run home run in the seventh inning by Pete Cappetta, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the previous inning.
Notes: Borden extended his hitting streak to 13 games while Ernst now has a six-game hitting streak....Ernst now has 211 career hits and needs just two more to pass Jared Sadlowski (1994-97) for sixth place on the all-time Penn State hits list....All but one of Penn State's 22 home runs this year have come on the road....Penn State's 22 home runs surpassed its team total from last year in just its 40th game of the season. The Lions hit just 20 home runs last year, in which they played 57 games....Penn State's 18 hits equaled its season high, which was previously set against Air Force back on March 9....The Nittany Lions nearly doubled Wanamaker's total run support for the entire year. Prior to today, Wanamaker had received just 23 total runs of support in nine starts before getting 16 today....Wine and Kelley became the second and third Nittany Lions to hit two home runs in a game this year, after Yodice hit two dingers against Purdue two weekends ago. Prior to two weekends ago, no Nittany Lion had hit two homers in a game since 2003, when Adam Warchal and Mike DeRenzo both clubbed a pair against Indiana, which was also the last time two Nittany Lions hit two home runs apiece in the same game.... Wine's five RBI were a career high and he is the second Nittany Lions to drive in five runs in a game this year, joining Blackburn, who drove in five against Purdue two weekends ago.