Feb. 22, 2009
CLEARWATER, Fla. - After being held scoreless for eight innings, Penn State rallied to score six runs in the ninth inning to top Seton Hall 6-1 on the final day of the Big Ten/Big East Challenge on Sunday in Clearwater, Fla.
Blake Lynd brought home the winning runs in the final inning of a game that was a pitching duel between T.J. Macy and Joe Dirocco.
Macy pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing only one earned run in a no-decision. Macy struck out eight batters and walked two batters.
Michael Glantz opened the ninth frame with a walk. Jordan Steranka looped the ball over the head of second baseman Ed Brown to move Glantz into scoring position. Following a sacrifice bunt by Rick Marlin, Grant Youngblood tied the game at one apiece when he lasered a ball past the reach of shortstop A.J. Rusbarsky. Bobby Jacobs, who had a career-high day with two hits, walked for the second time of the game to reach base for the fourth time in the game. Lynd made the score 3-1 with a two-RBI liner to centerfield.
Another walk given up by the Pirates made way for Mike Deese's single which put the game out of Seton Hall's reach. Cory Wine singled to left to bring in the sixth run of the inning for Penn State.
Deese went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead Penn State, which goes to a 2-1 record for the first time since defeating Norfolk State in 2004.
David Lutz (1-0) garnered the win for the Nittany Lions. Lutz pitched two hitless innings in relief and struck out one batter. Matt Singer took the loss for the Pirates.
Jacobs batted 2-for-2, and Youngblood added two hits with a run and an RBI.
Prior to the barrage of scoring displayed in the ninth, Macy held the Pirates in check as both teams exchanged flawless innings to begin the game.
Seton Hall ended a scoreless drought in the fifth with its second hit of the game. After a leadoff walk by Sean Gusrang, Matt Spedburg lined a pitch into right-center field that landed just out of the reach of a diving Lynd to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
Penn State responded in the top of the sixth but was inches away from a productive inning. Wine ripped a ground-ball single into right field. Glantz responded with a similarly hit ball that was fielded just in time by Brown to throw out the runner.
Seton Hall defense stalled the Nittany Lions again in the seventh. Steranka singled to center, advanced on the throw, and was thrown out by centerfielder Spedburg, who picked up Marlin's Texas Leaguer and gunned it home in time. Marlin was picked off at second base moments later by Seton pitcher Dirocco.
Youngblood rallied with two outs and no runners on with a single that cut the middle infielders, followed by Jacobs who walked to get on base for the third time in the game. Penn State would not capitalize as the Pirate bullpen got Lynd to strike out swinging.
Penn State travels to Austin, Texas next weekend to take on No. 4 Texas. The Longhorns and the Nittany Lions square off on Friday at 4 p.m. ET at the UFCU Disch-Falk Field.