March 24, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a long wait to get Saturday's game underway because of a rain delay, junior Elliot Searer (Lewistown, Pa.) ended the day on the right note with an extra inning, walk-off RBI single in the 10th to give Penn State (5-15, 1-1) a 4-3 victory over Indiana.
"The coolest part was turning around and seeing all my teammates come out there after my hit," said Searer. "They've had my back all season so it feels nice to come through for them."
Junior Neal Herring (West Chester, Pa.) picked up the win as he pitched a scoreless 10th inning. Sophomore starting pitcher Joe Kurrasch (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) pitched a solid game for the Lions as he went seven innings of two-run ball. Sophomore Steve Snyder (West Chester, Pa.) had a season-high three hits and senior Joey DeBernardis (Lake Zurich, Ill.) added two base knocks.
In the bottom of the first inning, Snyder led things off with a single and DeBernardis reached on a base hit as well. Steranka then singled to score Snyder to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. The Lions would add another in the second inning. After sophomore Zach Ell (Plains, Pa.) singled and Searer bunted him over, Deegan had an RBI base hit to center field, giving the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Indiana put its mark on the scoreboard in the third inning. A sacrifice fly by Sam Travis made the score 2-1 in favor of Penn State.
In the top of the fifth, Indiana provided a scare. Kyle Schwarber doubled to give the Hoosiers a runner in scoring position with two out. Sam Travis then ripped a ball up the middle. Junior second baseman Luis Montesinos (Miami, Fla.) made a highlight-reel diving stop and hosed the runner at first base to keep the Hoosiers in check.
In the next inning, Indiana would tie the game at two with a sac fly. However, Penn State would retake the lead an inning later. In the bottom of the seventh, Snyder singled and two walks loaded the bases for Montesinos. The junior walked to score Snyder, as the Lions took a 3-2 lead.
Sophomore Greg Welsh (Holland, Pa.) came in the top of the eighth. He let the leadoff batter on, but shut down the next three hitters to maintain the Lion lead. However, in the top of the ninth, and RBI double by Chad Clark of Indiana would tie the game up at three and forced extra innings.
After Herring pitched a scoreless tenth, Penn State would string together two hits and a perfectly executed sac bunt to put together a much needed game-winning run. Montesinos started things off with a leadoff base hit. Ell then bunted down the first base line of the infield to advance Montesinos. Then on a 2-0 pitch, Searer lofted a single into left centerfield to score Montesinos to win the game for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State closes out its series with Indiana in the rubber game of this three-game set. Junior Steven Hill (Colleyville, Texas) will take the mound for the Lions.
Students can still purchase season tickets for $20 at the Spikes Box Office. Season tickets for Adult General Admission start at just $63. For fans interested in the "In The Box" seats, those will start at $99. Youth General Admission tickets are the same cost as student season tickets, $20. Individual game tickets for Adult General Admission start at just $4 and just $2 for youth.
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-NITTANY LIONS-