March 13, 2009
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Cory Wine tied a school record with five hits to lead the Penn State baseball team to a 12-8 victory over Rutgers on Friday at Florida Atlantic University Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
The Nittany Lions collected 18 hits for the third consecutive game. Penn State (7-6) has won four of its past five games.
Wine reached base six times against the Scarlet Knights, batting 5-for-5 with a walk. The senior first baseman collected five RBIs and one run. Wine becomes the 13th player in school history to tally five hits.
T.J. Macy (2-1) picked up his second victory. Macy allowed one earned run and four hits, while striking out six batters in five innings pitched.
The game turned from a pitcher's duel between Macy and Casey Gaynor that yielded three total runs in the first six innings of play to an offensive onslaught that saw 17 runs scored in the latter third of the game.
The first two spots in the order, Blake Lynd and Wes Borden, reached base four times each. Lynd had three hits, four runs and a stolen base, while Borden went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs.
Bobby Jacobs set a career high with three hits and three runs.
Penn State continued its torrent offense, scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Lynd hit an opposite-field base hit that trickled off the third baseman Vinnie Sangemino's mitt. Following a base on balls, Wine loaded the bases with a bloop single over the head of second baseman Brandon Boykin. Jordan Steranka beat out a potential double play to score Lynd.
Macy got out of two early jams in the first two innings. Macy picked off a lead-off runner in the first before leaving a runner at third with one out by allowing a pop-up to Wine and getting Boykin to strike out swinging.
Wine sent the winning run home in the top of the fifth with a single up the middle of the infield to score Jacobs. Jacobs reached base with one of his three hits of the game.
Penn State poured four runs in the seventh against Rutgers' bullpen on four hits. After the first three batters loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, Wine creamed a double to right-center field to clear the bases. Grant Youngblood scored Wine by adding to his 12-game hitting streak.
After putting two runs on the board in the eighth, Rutgers took advantage of three consecutive walks by the Nittany Lions bullpen, scoring four in the bottom of the eighth. David Lutz forced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
With the Scarlet Knights within three runs, Penn State added insurance runs with four runs in the top of the ninth. The first six batters reached with five singles and a walk. Borden, Deese and Wine each batted in the run to allow the Nittany Lions to secure a seven-run lead.
Rutgers rallied in the ninth to score three runs and get the potential tying run at-bat. After allowing two walks and three singles, Lutz shut the door on Rutgers, getting Michael Lang to strike out looking.
GAME NOTES: Cory Wine has at least four hits in three of the past four games...The last Penn State player with five hits in one game was Mike Cavagnaro on April 24, 2007...Grant Youngblood extended his hitting streak to 12 games...Penn State did not commit any errors...Jesse Alfreno allowed his first earned run of the season. Alfreno went eight innings without giving up a run.