April 26, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team was swept by Illinois on Sunday as the Fightin Illini won the final game of the series, 9-2, in front of an attendance of 1,721. The Nittany Lions now drop to 21-19 overall and 5-10 in the Big Ten.
Illinois posted double digit hits for the third time in the series, and the Fightin' Illini was guided by starter Bryan Roberts, who pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out six.
Ryan Boonie (State College, Pa.) had two hits, including one double, for a team-high five safes during the series. Wes Borden (Charlotte, N.C.) tallied two hits, a triple, a run and an RBI. Borden reached base three times.
Louie Picconi (North Merrick, N.Y.) also brought home a run for the Nittany Lions.
Starting in a Big Ten game for the first time in his career, Paul Cianciolo (Charleston, S.C.) pitched 6 1/3 innings and struck out two in the loss.
Illinois out-hit Penn State by a 9-2 margin. Six Illini had multi-hit games, and four triples, including each of the first three hits of the game, were recorded.
Mike Pierce (State College, Pa.) and Drew Palen (Scottsdale, Ariz.) both pitched scoreless outings in relief, retiring every batter faced.
The Fightin' Illini captured a quick two-run lead in the second inning. Back-to-back triples to left-center by Matt Dittman and Pete Cappetta yielded runs. A dazzling play in the hole by the shortstop Picconi kept Cappetta at bay on third base.
Penn State got to Roberts in the third with one run to make it a 2-1 game. After Borden led off with a walk, Picconi ripped an opposite-field double that hugged the wall down the right-field line to allow Borden to turn the corner and score.
Illinois jumped out with three total runs in the fourth and fifth innings. A leadoff triple by Dominic Altobelli and a pair of wild pitches in the fifth aided Illinois' 5-1 lead.
With the Nittany Lions down 8-1 in the seventh, Borden manufactured the second run of the game. Bobby Jacobs (West Chester, Pa.) battled Roberts to line a single to centerfield and scored when Borden decked a triple over the head of the centerfielder.
Penn State returns to action when it travels to Pittsburgh on Tuesday at Trees Field. The Nittany Lions and Panthers will try for the third time this season to play nine as the previous two slated to play at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park were called because of rain.
GAME NOTES: Illinois is the first Big Ten team to sweep the Nittany Lions since Ohio State did in 2005...Penn State had seven runners left on base as opposed to the Illini's six...The Nittany Lions are mired in a five-game losing streak.