March 31, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ben Heath hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Penn State baseball team a 6-5 victory over Bucknell on Tuesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Following a four-run inning by the Bison to tie the game at five apiece, Louie Picconi (North Merrick, N.Y.) reached with a lead-off walk and was advanced by a neatly-lay bunt by Mike Deese (Roswell, Ga.) down the first base line. With two outs, Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) triggered a come-back liner up the middle to score Picconi.
Picconi had a hit and two RBIs to go along with his winning run. Eight of the nine Nittany Lion (15-10 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) starters had one hit.
Bucknell out-hit the Nittany Lions by a 12-8 ratio. The Bison stranded 14 runners of base, while Penn State left only four. Penn State pitched Bucknell into three double plays, including one to end the game with the winning run at the plate.
Paul Cianciolo (Charleston, S.C.) threw seven innings and gave up one earned run in his first start at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Cianciolo struck out and walked one batter.
Scott Kelley (Arlington Heights, Ill.), recently converted as the team's closer, pitched a scoreless inning of relief to secure the win. David Lutz (West Chester, Pa.) tabbed his first career save by forcing a double play against the only batter he faced.
Penn State opened the scoring with three runs in the second inning. Cory Wine (Stillwater, Okla.) walked to start the frame and was scored by a Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) single to right field. Rick Marlin (Orlando, Fla.) knocked a base hit to the left side of the field before Sean Deegan (Somerville, N.J.) recorded his first career RBI with a three-bagger to the deepest portion of left-center field.
Cianciolo had no problems through the first four innings, leaving Penn State's three-run lead intact. The senior right-hander got out of a jam in the second, forcing a 4-6-3 double play against Bret Sokirka.
Bucknell scored its first run in the fifth inning. Ben Allen singled to centerfield and, following a single to right by Bob Donato, ended the shutout with on a fielder's choice to Michael Glantz (Marietta, Ga.).
Picconi had both of his RBIs in the fifth inning. Glantz grounded up the middle and reached home, along with Wes Borden (Charlotte, N.C.), when Picconi placed a ball down the leftfield line, extending Penn State's lead to 5-1.
Cianciolo stranded a runner in all seven innings pitched. The Charleston, S.C. native kept a runner at third at bay in the sixth inning. Andrew Loucks, the Bison's top hitter, was left at third base with one out when Cianciolo retired David Duffett and Allen on a strikeout and groundout, respectively. An inning later, he left ducks on the pond by pitching into his second double play.
Bucknell rallied to score four runs in the top of the eighth, nullifying Cianciolo's chances at the win. Three of the first four batters in the inning reached to allow Donato to drill a two-run double to left-center. Andrew Brouse supplied a two RBI base hit that found a hole in the infield to tie the game at five apiece.
Lutz ended Bucknell's chances with a double play in the ninth inning with the winning run at the plate.