The baseball team came out of Saturday's split with LaSalle with a 3-9 record, but Coach Joe Hindelang wasn't concerned.

"I don't care about the won-loss record," he said. "My whole thing is building on previous performances."

The Lions lost the first game, 4-3, but were able to come back to defeat the Explorers, 8-7, in game two. Hindelang said the team was even able to build within Saturday's doubleheader.

"There were a lot of positives on the day, that's what I look at," he said.

In the first game, Jeff Burris started for the Lions, pitched 51/3 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out five and walked four. John Maggiore took the loss for the Lions. He pitched two-thirds of an inning and walked two.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the score tied 3-3, freshman Dean Kearns walked LaSalle's John MaGee to force in Gary Roberts, who was put on base by Maggiore.

In the game, Penn State scored three runs on six hits with one error. The Explorers had four on seven to go along with three errors.

In the second game, Penn State exploded for 13 hits to nip the Explorers, 8-7.

"I'm OK with a split," Hindelang said.

The pitching star of the game for the Lions was sophomore Eric Fischer (1-1), who pitched 51/3 innings of one-hit, one-run relief to earn the win.

"We felt we were going to score more runs, which we did, if he could only shut the door," Hindelang said.

Fischer worked his way out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth inning. With men on first and third, Fischer got the next batter to ground into a double play.

"Our middle infield got a great double play in a clutch situation," Fischer said.

"He (Fischer) did a wonderful job," Hindelang added.

Fischer, who had problems keeping his pitches down in the strike zone over spring break in Florida, got a ground ball in a key situation.

"I was thinking that the man on third really doesn't matter -- that run didn't matter," he said. "I was just hoping for a ground ball that we could turn into a double play."

In the top of the eighth with the score tied 6-6, Scott Beisecker led off the inning for the Lions with a single and stole second. After an out, Kody Barto singled and then Chris Buzzi came through with an RBI single. Russ Mushinsky was intentionally walked to load the bases and Eric Gates hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-6.

Barto was the offensive star for the Lions, connecting for three hits in five trips to the plate. Gates added two RBI, and Beisecker went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Dave Hall and Mushinsky each homered for the Lions.

Mike McRoberts started the game for Penn State, but he was roughed up for six runs (five earned) and eight hits in only two innings. Freshman Chris Freed worked one scoreless inning, but walked three. Hindelang called on Fischer in the fourth with runners on first and second with nobody out.

"I was just hoping to keep it close, to keep them to one run or less," Fischer said.