April 30, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It only takes one swing to break out of a slump, something that Ryky Smith can attest to after Wednesday night.
The senior infielder went into a midweek contest against Pittsburgh on the bench after going hitless in his prior 24 at-bats. With the game on the line in the bottom of the ninth however, it was his bat that the Nittany Lions needed.
Smith came to the plate with the score tied 7-7 and runners on the corners with one out. The situation called for a hit-and-run, and Smith executed it perfectly, slapping a grounder that shortstop Ron Sherman wasn't able to make a play on before Jim Haley crossed the plate with the winning run.
Apart from giving Penn State a thrilling 8-7 win, the play also went a long way in getting Smith his confidence back.
"I hadn't had a hit in a while, that's for sure," Smith said. "The thing going through my mind was, it's about time you get it done.
"[Head Coach Rob] Cooper put on a hit-and-run, all I have to right there is hit a ground ball and we win the game. So I made it a point to hit that ball on the ground no mater what."
In the clubhouse afterwards, Smith barely had a chance to finish his statement when Haley snuck up from behind and rubbed a celebratory shaving cream pie in his face. As his teammates looked on and laughed, the 5-foot-10 infielder couldn't help but smile.
"Anyway, now that that's over, jeez," Smith said as he wiped his face. "As soon as I hit the ball I knew they weren't turning a double play and the game was probably over."
While it's far from the hardest ball that the York, Pennsylvania, native, has ever hit, it may wind up as his most memorable. It came at a good time too, with his senior season winding down.
Easily one of Penn State's scrappiest players, Smith started the year on fire, hitting over .300 for most of the first two months of the season. Despite his recent slump, he's remained a versatile defender capable playing second and third base, and Cooper was pleased to see him get a moment in the spotlight.
"He's a good college player, but he's one of those guys you wish was loaded with talent because he would make the most of it," Cooper said. "He wouldn't be a guy who wouldn't work at it or take it serious, because that's not the way he plays, so it was good to see him do that."
Going into the ninth with a 7-5 lead, the Lions didn't appear to need their half of the inning to win. The Panthers battled back however, scoring two runs on three hits to set up the dramatic finish.
Before Smith delivered his game-winning infield hit, Haley and center fielder Ryan Richter started the inning with singles of their own. In a game in which Penn State registered 15 hits, all but one were singles.
Oh, but what a hit that one non-single was. In the bottom of the eighth with the Lions clinging to a 6-5 lead, left fielder Greg Guers ripped his sixth home run of the season on a solo shot that gave the Lions an important insurance run.
"Our guys made adjustments from at-bat to at-bat and pitch to pitch and the best example is Guers' home run," Cooper said. "He laid off a breaking ball down in the dirt and when he didn't swing at that, the pitcher for them realizes, `He's not going to chase that, what am I going to do here.' Usually you have an approach like that, you get a lot of hits."
The win gave Penn State a 2-0 record against Pittsburgh this season, following a 6-1 win in 12 innings on March 17. While the Lions don't mind extra innings, they're glad they won this one in a timely fashion.
"When Penn State plays Pitt, people are going to want to beat each other," Cooper said. "Last time it was 40 degrees colder than it was tonight, but I've always said I'll play as many innings as it takes as long as we win."