May 12, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team was upended by Villanova, 10-5, on Tuesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, despite out-hitting the Wildcats, 11-10.
Drew Palen (Scottsdale, Ariz.) pitched four relief innings of hitless ball in which he did not allow a run, nearly lowering his ERA by four points.
The Nittany Lions had four players turn in multi-hit games. Ryan Boonie (State College, Pa.) scattered two hits, a triple, a run and two RBIs. Rick Marlin (Orlando, Fla.) smashed his third home run of the season with a solo shot in the fourth inning.
Villanova's Michael Mayer came into relief in the fifth inning and spanned three hits and no runs over five strong. Mayer retired 12 consecutive batters at one point and only allowed one runner to reach scoring position.
The Wildcats' Matt McFolling had a 3-for-5 night with five home runs and two doubles.
Penn State issued eight walks during the course of the game while the Wildcats did not hang out any free passes.
After nine runs were scored in the first inning and a half, Palen and the tandem of Kyle Helisek and Mayer cooled down opposing bats. Until the ninth inning, each team scored just one run through six frames.
The Nittany Lions responded well to an early one-run deficit in the first. Landon Nakata (Honolulu, Hawai'i) slapped a single to left field and was driven to third by a ground-rule double by Mike Deese (Roswell, Ga.) that cruised over the head of Joe Cotter in straightaway center and hopped over the fence and off the backdrop. Nakata was later brought home by a laser to right-center by Cory Wine (Stillwater, Okla.). Boonie (State College, Pa.) packed in two RBIs on a triple that gapped in left-center field. Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) made it an early 4-1 Nittany Lion lead with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Villanova turned around with four of its own in the second inning. Matt McFolling crushed a double, his second hit in as many innings, to bring home three runs, and the Wildcats jumped to a 5-4 advantage.
Palen made a nice defensive play in the third to help his own cause when he stabbed a come-backer with two outs and runners in scoring position.
Marlin pushed the game into a stalemate at five apiece in the fourth when he sent a lead-off pitch over the left field fence.
After three scoreless stanzas, Cotter gave the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish when he knocked a two-out solo shot for an 8-7 lead.
Villanova put the game away in the ninth when it put four on the board via a pair of doubles to start the inning. Jesse Alfreno (Grove City, Pa.) came in to end the damage, retiring one batter and giving up a hit.