Ask any player on the baseball team how his break was, and he might break into a fairly large smile.

The Lions (9-4) opened the break with a tough 6-5 loss to Connecticut, but they rebounded the next day with a big 15-5 win over Illinois-Chicago. Then, Penn State took first-place honors in a six-game, six-day tournament hosted by Division II power Rollins. Penn State came away with two wins over Rollins, 13-8 on Tuesday and 5-4 on Saturday. The Lions also took two from Pennsylvania, winning 6-3 Monday and 7-1 Friday. The Lions also managed a split with a strong Maine team, winning 5-4 on Wednesday, then losing Thursday 6-5. Named to the All-Tournament Team for the Lions were shortstop Russ Mushinsky, designated hitter Eric Gates and pitcher Justin Craig. A 6-2 record made just about everybody happy.

"It was a good trip," Coach Joe Hindelang said. "Winning the tourney was a real good thing for the team."

Much of the success for the team came in the ability to work its way out of tight situation. In the first game against Rollins, the Lions were down 8-2 in the third inning when the sky opened up and the game was stopped. Normally in that situation the game would have to be completely replayed, effectively wiping out Penn State's six-run deficit. But, according to the tourney rules, the game would restart where it ended, leaving the Lions way behind. On the following day, the sun came out, and so did the Lions' bats, as Penn State scored 11 runs while holding Rollins scoreless the rest of the way.

"We're tough," pitcher Chris Church said. "This whole week we really pulled for each other. Everyone wants everyone else to do well."

In the second game against Rollins, the Lions were down 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth when Gates crushed a solo homer to tie the score. In the bottom of the eleventh, Kelby Waltman scored the winning run when Rollins bungled what would have been an inning-ending double play. The adventures continued in the win over Maine when, with the score tied in the bottom of the twelfth inning, Hindelang called a double steal. The gamble was successful, as Andy Simock came across the plate to score the winning run.

The defense for Penn State also stood out over the week, especially with the double-play combination of Mushinsky and second baseman Kelby Waltman, as they turned several during the week, 11 alone in the three games from Tuesday through Thursday.

"They really worked together," Hindelang said. "They're real solid defensively."