May 3, 2008

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a two hour and 45 minute rain delay in the bottom of the sixth inning, Penn State held on to defeat the Michigan State baseball team in seven innings, 2-1, Saturday night at Medlar Field, halting the Spartans' five-game winning streak.

Game two of the doubleheader was postponed due to further rain in the State College area and will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at 12:05 p.m. A live, free webstream will be available for Sunday's games at www.GoPSUSports.com.

MSU falls to 19-23 (8-13 Big Ten), while Penn State improves to 20-25 (11-11). After Saturday's Big Ten action, the Spartans remain in seventh place in the conference standings and are two games back of sixth-place Northwestern (10-11). The top six teams earn bids to the Big Ten Tournament.

Saturday's matchup was a pitcher's duel between MSU's Chris Cullen and Penn State's Mike Wanamaker. Cullen (4-3) was effective in his 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs and seven hits on five strikeouts. He was taken out of the game after the lengthy rain delay.

When play resumed in the bottom of the sixth, Penn State had a runner on second with one out and a 2-1 lead. On reliever Nolan Moody's first pitch, Lou Picconi hit a grounder to the mound, and Moody fired to third, eventually getting the runner in a rundown. On the same play, the Spartans doubled up Picconi as he tried to take second base.

The Spartans looked to use the momentum in the top of the seventh off Nittany Lion closer Drew O'Neil, who entered the game with a 0.49 ERA and seven saves. O'Neil took over for Wanamaker, who fanned four and gave up only five hits in six innings of work.

Eric Roof drew a one-out walk off O'Neil, and pinch runner Dennis Jones then stole second. The Spartans took another walk, this time by Brandon Eckerle, to put runners on first and second with one out. The rally came up short as Jeff Holm grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

O'Neil earned his eighth save and Wanamaker improved to 5-4.

The Nittany Lions manufactured a run in the third to take an early 1-0 lead. Leadoff hitter Wes Borden singled to left, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and went to third on a wild pitch. Borden then scored on a Rob Yodice single to center field.

Meanwhile, the Spartans couldn't take advantage of a golden opportunity in the top of the fourth. Steve Gerstenberger led off with a bunt single, and went to third on a Jonathon Roof bloop double to center. With runners on second and third, no outs, and the 3-4-5 hitters coming to the plate, MSU was primed to break Wanamker's shutout bid; however, the junior right-hander got Chris Roberts, Kyle Day and Justin Potes in order to halt the scoring threat.

Cullen shut down the Nittany Lions in the fourth and struck out the first two batters in the fifth, but PSU rallied for another run late in the inning on a Joe Blackburn single, a walk to Yodice and an infield RBI single by Brian Ernst.

The Spartans got on the board in the sixth as Brandon Doherty led off with a bunt single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Roberts RBI single to left.