March 29, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Entering the final game of the series against No. 16 Ohio State, head coach Robbie Wine emphasized the virtuous need for patience and the ability to create opportunities against a Buckeye pitching staff that troubled Penn State hitters for the first two games.
The Nittany Lions took heed to Wine's advice on Sunday, taking 11 walks and 212 total pitches against Ohio State in a 15-11 victory at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Penn State (14-10 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) twice scored six runs in an inning and salvaged the rubber game of the three-game set, despite being out-hit 15-12.
"Our approach today was take your time and pick your pitch," freshman third baseman Jordan Steranka said. "We let them throw strikes, but they didn't."
Michael Glantz (Marietta, Ga.) beaconed the Nittany Lions offense with a 3-for-4 performance, marked by three RBIs and two runs. Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) supplied several key hits, pounding out three RBIs on two hits.
Blake Lynd (Deer Park, Texas) reached base five times, and Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored three runs and two RBIs.
Filling in at a critical point, David Lutz (West Chester, Pa.) tossed two innings of scoreless ball in an otherwise offensively potent game. Lutz struck out two and let up two hits for his third victory. Ryan Ignas (North Wales, Pa.) filled in for Lutz in the ninth to garner his second save of the year.
Cory Kovanda had a 4-for-6 game for the Buckeyes (20-4 overall, 2-1 Big Ten). Therion Minium was the losing pitcher, allowing five earned runs in an inning pitched.
"It's a good feeling to finish off the weekend with a win," said Steranka.
Facing two-time defending Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Alex Wimmers, Penn State coerced an early exit for the Buckeye ace, who was battered by head coach Robbie Wine's offense for six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.
The Nittany Lions pestered Wimmers in second and third innings. In the second, Steranka initiated a lead-off walk. Glantz dribbled a ball down the third base line, scoring Steranka, which was redirected by the base before third baseman Justin Miller could make the play.
Steranka hounded Wimmers an inning later, hugging the left-field line to put Cory Wine (Stillwater, Okla.) in scoring position. Walks plagued the Buckeyes in the third as Wimmers and Andrew Armstrong issued five free passes, including two with the bases jammed, and beaned one batter. Heath gapped a bases-loaded double to score three of the six runs Penn State totaled for a 7-2 lead.
Calvin Grumley (Johnsonburg, Pa.) started the game by retiring the first eight batters faced. Grumley ran into trouble with two outs in the third when Kovanda struck a two-bagger over Lynd's head for a short-lived 2-1 lead.
Ohio State retook the lead in the fifth inning with five runs of its own. A Michael Stephens double and Dan Burkhardt single to left sent Mike Lorentson (Springfield, Pa.) in for relief. The southpaw struggled to find the strike zone before jamming the top of the order, while the Buckeyes moved ahead by a run.
Once again, Ohio State's one-run lead did not stand long in the 50-minute long fifth inning. Penn State gathered six runs, including the first five batters. Lynd and Landon Nakata (Honolulu, Hawai'i) singled to start the frame. Cory Wine (Stillwater, Okla.) roped a hit to opposite field, tying the game at eight apiece. In the next at-bat, Steranka drilled the ball to deep left field to take the lead. Glantz capped the inning with a two-RBI double.
In the sixth, Lynd staved a potential game-changing inning as he made an acrobatic catch while falling down onto the warning track in center field.
After seven walks issued through the first six innings of work, the trio of Paul Cianciolo (Charleston, S.C.), Lutz and Ignas did not give up any bases on balls in the latter third of the game. Lutz forced an inning-ending double play, and Ignas stranded two runners by striking out both hitters faced.
Penn State returns to action on Tuesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park when it hosts Bucknell at 6:35 p.m.
GAME NOTES: The victory marks the first win for a Penn State team over a ranked opponent since it defeated No. 23 Michigan, 15-5, on May 23, 2007