March 11, 2009
Ft. MYERS, Fla. - Penn State avenged a tough opening-game loss with an 18-16 victory over Florida Gulf Coast in a back-and-forth match on Wednesday at Swanson Stadium that featured five home runs, five lead changes and 35 hits. The Nittany Lions piled nine runs in the final two innings to go ahead of the Eagles.
Michael Glantz batted 4-for-5 while scoring four runs and two RBIs. Blake Lynd, Mike Deese and Cory Wine each collected three RBIs for the Nittany Lions (6-6).
Penn State had two players - Wine and Glantz - hit home runs. For Glantz, it was his first home run as a Nittany Lion and he was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
The Nittany Lions totaled 18 base hits during the game, as they topped 15 runs for the third time in four days. Penn State, which did not receive a free pass in the 14 inning contest it played with the Eagles on Tuesday, had seven batters walk.
Down two runs, Penn State quickly piled on six runs to take the lead again in the eighth inning. Wes Borden reached as the lead-off batter for the second time with a base on balls. Grant Youngblood tapped a ball down the first-base line, and Eagles' pitcher Tom Kiley tossed it well over the head of the first baseman into right field. Borden rounded home on the errant throw, and Youngblood advanced to third base. Deese sacrificed to tie the game at 11 apiece.
With bases empty and one out, the next five batters reached base to lengthen the Nittany Lions' lead to 15-11 in the eighth. Wine walked, and Jordan Steranka creamed a liner into right field. Jesse Alfreno made a rare pinch running appearance for Wine, and Glantz loaded the bases with a seeing-eye single. Blake Lynd, serving as a pinch hitter, rifled a ball to the third baseman, which ricocheted off third baseman Roberson's mitt and trickled into the outfield to score Alfreno. Bobby Jacobs singled to score another run, and Louie Picconi triggered a ball to the shortstop Steven Wickens, which was misplayed and allowed two more runs to Penn State's lead.
Ryan Ignas (1-0) picked up the win for Penn State. Paul Cianciolo made his first collegiate start, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched.
Tim Roberson went 4-for-6 with four RBIs and a home run for Florida Gulf Coast. For the series, Roberson had three home runs and 10 RBIs.
Unlike the first game between the two teams, Penn State was able to get breaks to go its way in the second inning, tallying two runs on three hits. Ryan Boonie earned the first walk of the series for the Nittany Lions to get on base to lead off. Boonie was advanced to home on a Glantz liner that was misplayed by leftfielder Joe Guarnaccia. A Rick Marlin punchout pitch reached the backstop allowing Glantz, who was on third, to score the second run of the game.
Cianciolo was commanding early in his first career start. The graduate student from Charleston, S.C. gave up three hits, no earned runs and had three strikeouts in his first three innings of work.
The Eagles got to Cianciolo in the fourth inning to score six runs on four hits and two errors. Florida Gulf Coast loaded the bases with two singles and a walk before Zach Maxfield doubled to score two runners. Wickens singled to the left side, advancing to third on a fielding error by Boonie to reach third and clear the bases. Cianciolo forced Roberson, who had two home runs and six RBIs in the first game of the series, and Mikel Alvarez into consecutive fielder's choices to conclude the inning.
Penn State quickly chipped away at the Eagle lead in the fifth inning. Leadoff batter Wes Borden chipped a single to the right side. Wine connected with a run-scoring single to bring the Nittany Lions' deficit to 6-3.
Drew Irsfeld came into relieve Cianciolo midway through the bottom of the fifth. Irsfeld stranded Florida Gulf Coast with bases loaded when he got Wickens to fly out to centerfielder Grant Youngblood.
Penn State reiterated with a six-run inning of its own in the sixth inning, homering twice off Florida Gulf Coast relievers. Glantz initiated the barrage of scoring with a solo shot to left field. After Marlin was awarded a free pass, Picconi brought home the Nittany Lions' fifth run with a run-scoring single. Following a hit-by-a-pitch to Borden, Youngblood supplied an RBI groundout to tie the game. Deese pulled a C.J. Stallings pitch down the line to tally the go-ahead run. A pitching change to Jacob Barnes yielded a two-run crank that Wine sent to the palm trees beyond the right field fence.
The three-run Nittany Lion lead would be short-lived. Penn State got defensive help from Deese, who made a remarkable sliding catch on the run to down the first two batters of the sixth. Two singles led to a three-run home run by Bobby Greene to tie the game at nine apiece.
Roberson, a plague for the Nittany Lions in each of the two games played, cranked his third home run of the series to give Florida Gulf Coast an 11-9 advantage.
Maxfield shortened the Nittany Lions' lead to three runs in the eighth with Florida Gulf Coast's third home run of the game.
Penn State in the top of the ninth with three more runs off of four hits. Youngblood became the final starter to get a hit with a single of his own, adding to his consecutive hits streak of 11 games. Steranka followed with his second hit of the game before Glantz doubled down the line to score Youngblood. Lynd brought home the Nittany Lions' 17th and 18th runs when he poked a single down the opposite line but ended the threat when he was thrown out at second base.
The relentless Florida Gulf Coast squad added another rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring four runs on four hits to get within two of Penn State. The Eagles had the tying run at the plate when Mike Lorentson, normally a starting pitcher, came in relief to strike out Maxfield on a foul tip to close the game.
Penn State travels to Boca Raton, Fla. to play Rutgers in a four-game series starting Friday at Florida Atlantic's field.
GAME NOTES: The 34-run game marks the highest-scoring affair that Penn State has played in since April 10, 1998 when Northwestern defeated Joe Hindelang's squad, 20-17...The 57 runs scored in the two-game series is 12 runs more than the previous high...Grant Youngblood increased his hitting streak to two games...Mike Lorentson credited with a save. According to NCAA rules, a pitcher saves a game if he enters with the tying run at-bat.