April 18, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Penn State baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Indiana on Saturday, falling 15-1 and 3-2 to the Hoosiers. Sunday's game was rescheduled to this afternoon due to impending weather.
Indiana (18-18 overall, 8-3 Big Ten) takes the series by two games to one. Penn State (21-16 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) defeated Indiana, 9-7, on Friday in the first game of the series.
Wes Borden (Charlotte, N.C.) had three hits for the twinbill, and Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) blasted his fourth home run of the year.
Scott Kelley (Arlington Heights, Ill.) pitched three innings of hitless ball to keep the Nittany Lions in contention during the second game. Kelley struck out three and got out of a crucial bases-loaded jam. Coming in relief in the sixth inning with runners at all corners, the senior right-hander recorded a punch out and a ground-out double play to keep Penn State within two.
Penn State was within arm's reach of taking the series in the nightcap of the twinbill. The Nittany Lions were retired with the winning run at the plate.
Two double plays were turned during the game, including Kelley's two-outer with the bases jammed in the sixth. Penn State leads the nation in fielded double plays, averaging over 1.3 per game.
Seven of the nine hitters in the starting lineup had hits for the game. Landon Nakata (Honolulu, Hawai'i) and Steranka each had RBIs.
Indiana jumped to an early lead in the first. Jerrud Sabourin doubled and was scored by a Josh Phegley liner.
Penn State tied the game at one in the third inning off a sacrifice fly by Nakata. Borden grounded a single to the open space between the first and second basemen and was moved to third by a Blake Lynd (Deer Park, Texas) drive that caromed off of the shortstop's mitt.
The Hoosiers tallied runs in the fourth and fifth innings to reclaim the lead at 3-1. Brian Lambert smoked a ball to the centerfield wall for a run-scoring triple, and two singles in the fifth yielded what would be the winning run.
Steranka inched the Nittany Nine to within a run with an opposite-field jack off of the southpaw Matt Bashore.
In the first game, Indiana posted a six spot in the first and led 9-0 through the first three innings. Three Hoosier players - Tyler Rogers, Evan Crawford and Jake Dunning - had three hits apiece. Crawford had five RBIs on the game, while Dunning smashed two home runs.
Borden, who had the game-winning hit in Friday's game, had two hits for Penn State. Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) and Marlin reached base twice.
Paul Cianciolo (Charleston, S.C.) pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of starter Calvin Grumley (Johnsonburg, Pa.). Cianciolo stalled the Indiana offense during the middle innings when the Hoosiers scored just one run.
The Nittany Lions scored their lone run in the fourth. Marlin led off and scored when Louie Picconi (North Merrick, N.Y.) dished a single out to right field.
Penn State faces Illinois next weekend for a three-game set at home during the Blue/White Weekend.
GAME NOTES: Jordan Steranka's hitting streak came to a halt at 18 games, as did Blake Lynd's 11-game run.