April 17, 2016
.@PennStateBASE completed the series sweep over @NUCatsBaseball
Final Score: #NittanyLions 11 #Wildcats 3 https://t.co/edEbnqJjKp— BTN Student U (@BTNStudentU) April 17, 2016
| 11 | 3 |
| Miller Park | Evanston, Ill. | 421 | |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
VIDEO: Postgame Comments
EVANSTON, Ill. – Greg Guers (Langhorne, Pa.) and James Coates (Girard, Ohio) both slugged two-run home runs as Penn State completed a sweep of Northwestern with an 11-3 victory in Big Ten baseball action Sunday afternoon at Miller Park.
Penn State (22-14, 8-4 Big Ten) is now on a five-game winning streak with wins in 17 of its last 21 games. The sweep was Penn State's first on the road in conference action since taking four at Illinois in 2004. At 8-4 in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions are off to their best start since posting the same record in 2000. That team went to an NCAA Super Regional.
Much of the recent success can be attributed to Guers, who went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, double, three runs scored and three stolen bases Sunday. He extended his hitting streak to five games with his fourth-straight three-plus hit game. The senior has hit at a .714 clip (15-for-21) during the five-game stretch with eight RBIs, a home run, three doubles and four stolen bases. He went 9-for-13 during the three-game Northwestern series. Guers was batting .189 after the April 1 game against Purdue, but has posted hits in 10 of the last 11 games, including eight multi-hit games, to raise his season average 125 points to .314.
The top five batters in Penn State's lineup led the offensive attack against Northwestern (9-27, 2-10 Big Ten). In addition to his second home run of the season, Coates added a sacrifice fly for a game-high three RBIs. Third baseman Jim Haley (Upper Darby, Pa.) went a game-high 4-for-6 with two doubles and three runs. Senior first baseman Tyler Kendall (Boynton Beach, Fla.) drove in a pair of runs with sacrifice flies and walked and scored, while designated hitter Willie Burger (Lancaster, Pa.) went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Haley doubled with one out and Guers followed with his homer over the right field wall.
The Wildcats answered with four-straight singles in the bottom of the first though to tie the game at 2-2, with Hopfner and Hoscheit tallying RBIs. The Lions turned a double play, third to first, but designated hitter Zach Jones followed with another RBI-single to give the Wildcats their only lead of the weekend, 3-2.
RHP Justin Hagenman (Voorhees, N.J.) (5-1) allowed a sixth single before the first inning's final out and surrendered a lead-off single in the second, but settled in from there, only allowing three more hits before exiting after the sixth inning. He struck out the side in the fifth inning and finished with a line of six innings pitched, three runs, 10 hits, no walks and five strikeouts.
The lead was short-lived though as catcher Nick Graham (Chambersburg, Pa.) drew a two-out walk in the second and Coates followed with a home run just over the right field wall for a 4-3 lead.
The next two innings were scoreless but Burger and second baseman Connor Klemann (Royersford, Pa.) hit RBI-singles in the fifth for a 6-3 lead. Kendall and Burger hit sacrifice flies to score Haley and Guers, respectively in the sixth, and Kendall hit another sac fly in the eighth. Graham and Coates tallied RBIs in the ninth for the final margin.
Both teams tallied 13 hits, but none of Northwestern's went for extra bases, while Penn State totaled four. The Lions also did not yield a walk or hit batsmen while the Wildcats walked four and plunked three.
Northwestern LHP Jake Stolley (1-2) suffered the loss allowing the two, two-run home runs in the first two innings. Penn State senior LHP Nick Hedge (Winnetka, Ill.) pitched the final three innings to earn his first career save. He struck out two and allowed just three hits.
Penn State will return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to host Bucknell for the second time in as many weeks Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Purchase Penn State baseball tickets by visiting GoPSUsports.com or calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711. For more information on Penn State baseball tickets please call 814-272-1711 or email Stephen Christ schrist@statecollegespikes.com.