April 8, 2013
By Scott Traweek, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State (6-21, 0-6 Big Ten) needed a spark heading into the series finale against Wright State (12-16, 4-5 Horizon League) and that's exactly what the Nittany Lions found during an impressive 11-3 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Head coach Robbie Wine knew it was only a matter of time before all the pieces came together. His players had been working hard since day one and, despite struggling early, maintained a positive mentality throughout.
Ironically the key to winning on Sunday was to relax, let loose, and simply play Penn State baseball.
"We just came in with a great attitude from start to finish," said Wine. "We didn't have a care in the world. [We] just kept playing our game."
The Nittany Lions battled in the series opener on Friday, taking the game to the 11th inning before falling to Wright State, 7-4. Penn State trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth before stringing together three walks, two hits, and a pair of fielders' choices to tie the game.
In the bottom of the ninth, junior Steven Snyder led off with a double, but the Nittany Lions were unable to bring him home.
Game two saw a similar result, with Penn State falling 6-2 despite drawing nine walks along with six hits on the afternoon. The Nittany Lions grinded and fought but were unable to develop a rhythm offensively.
The pressure was building, but the coaches and players never doubted their abilities. Heading into the series finale, coach Wine changed his team's mentality.
"Coach Wine told us [on Saturday], `you guys just have to relax,'" said freshman left fielder James Coates. "We're right there every game. We just have to keep battling."
Penn State needed to take a step back, breathe, and just play baseball. The pressure would dissipate and the wins would follow.
That's exactly what happened. The Nittany Lions entered Sunday's contest calm, collected and dialed in.
"We came in, we relaxed, and just did what we were supposed to do: play the game," said Coates.
The results were apparent from the moment the players took the field. Junior Greg Welsh was on the mound and shut down the Raiders in the first inning with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. The offense followed suit, posting three runs in the bottom of the frame.
"In the first inning, Welsh went out and did his job," said Wine. "He shut them down, we put three on the board, and it was just a good feeling all the way through."
Penn State racked up five runs on eight hits in the first two innings of play. When Wright State climbed back to within two runs in the fifth, the Nittany Lions responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, three runs in the seventh, and a run in the eighth to seal the win.
"That's what we need to start doing more," said Coates. "When we give up a couple runs, we can't get down on ourselves. We just have to come back and keep going, keep fighting through it."
Every player in the batting order recorded a hit with five players earning a multi-hit game as Penn State outhit the Raiders, 17-7. Coates went 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot, scoring twice to go along with a walk and an RBI. Sophomore J. C. Coban and senior Luis Montesinos both went 3-for-5 and combined to score four runs and drive in four RBIs.
"[We had] a lot of confidence right from the start," said sophomore right fielder Aaron Novak. "We came out loose and we almost expected this because we were feeling so good."
Novak notched a pair of doubles and two RBIs in his return to the starting lineup.
"Having a good game gives me a lot of confidence," said Novak. "It feels good to do something to help the team out and get a win."
The Nittany Lions were patient at the plate, as they had been all weekend, only striking out four times, while earning four walks. The players collected 17 walks during the series and when combined with timely hitting, there was no stopping them.
"It comes with confidence and being comfortable up [at the plate]," said Wine. "We're not swinging at a lot of bad pitches early in the count like we were [earlier in the season]. Staying patient is important."
Penn State saw strong starting pitching throughout the weekend with redshirt sophomore T. J. Jann throwing seven and one-third innings in game one and allowing just three runs on eight hits, while senior Steven Hill pitched eight innings and allowed four earned runs on ten hits.
On Sunday, Welsh threw an impressive eight innings without allowing an earned run. He scattered six hits and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts. He commanded his fastball-slider combination with pinpoint accuracy and was able to effectively keep the opposing batters off balance.
"I just had command of my slider and my fastball the whole game," said Welsh. "I had good command and continued to mix [my pitches] up against the hitters."
Overall it was a team effort as the batters supported their pitcher with run support and Welsh responded by throwing lights out.
"It's a team [effort]," said Wine. "It's momentum. The pitcher goes out and does his job, we score runs, we play better defense, and it just keeps going around and good things happen."
Following the game, the players enjoyed their success in the locker room and had one thought on their minds: keeping it going.
"We kept saying, `let's start a streak today,'" said Novak. "Let's start a winning streak today."
The Nittany Lions are back in action on Tuesday, April 9, as they face Kent State inside Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. First pitch is slated for 7:00 p.m.
--NITTANY LIONS--