Sluggers step up to take 2 from OSU

By BRAD YOUNG
Collegian Sports Writer

Through the first three games of their series this weekend, Penn State and Ohio State had unleashed a barrage of 51 runs and 73 hits on one another. No lead was safe as baseballs were grabbed by the stiff Happy Valley breeze, and carried to all reaches of Beaver Field and beyond, as nine home runs left the yard in the three games.

Ohio State took two of those three games by scores of 7-5 and 8-3, with Penn State's win coming in a 15-13 bloodbath that was the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

But in the fourth and final game of the series, there would be no shootouts and no bloodbath. It was filled not with skyrocketing ERAs or an endless stampede on home plate, but rather with great defense and a wonderful pitching performance.

The Lions (8-15, 2-2 Big Ten) ended up on the winning end of a 3-1, 12-inning thriller, thereby securing a series split and handing the Buckeyes (9-12, 2-2) as many conferences losses as the defending Big Ten champs had suffered all of last season.

"It's big for us," leftfielder Derek Bochna said of the weekend split. "We have a lot of young guys that picked it up, started playing well, and we competed with the team that won it all last year."

Without Bochna, that would have been difficult. The senior team captain had a huge weekend, and its close was draped with the dramatics that make hardball lovers long for the end of the baseball strike.

With the series finale tied at one with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, sophomore rightfielder Jared Sadlowski slapped his ninth base hit of the series to keep the inning alive. Bochna stepped to the plate, himself having a series to remember. He had six hits, a home run and six RBIs in the series to that point, but was 0-for-3 in the game.

After Buckeye reliever Gary Fragle missed on his first delivery, Bochna was sitting on a 1-0 fastball. And a 1-0 fastball is what he got, launching it over the fence in dead center for his second dinger of the series and a 3-1 Penn State win.

"(Fragle) just made a mistake," disgruntled Ohio State Coach Bob Todd said. "He got a pitch up and Bochna was able to do something with it."

Bochna would not have been in a position to be the hero if it wasn't for Chuck Romig. The game marked the fifth start of the redshirt freshman's college career, and it also marked one of the better pitching performances Beaver Field has seen in quite a while.

Romig pitched a miraculous 10 2/3 innings of one-run, four hit baseball, striking out four and walking two.

"I was glad I got through five innings," Romig said modestly, "because my last two outings weren't exactly excellent."

But this one was, and it had Penn State Coach Joe Hindelang smiling afterward.

"It was just a masterpiece," Hindelang said.

The Lion defense made sure that Romig's efforts would not go to waste. They did not make any errors in the game, and a great catch by centerfielder Kevin Billotte in the fourth inning and second baseman Adam Beers' throw to nail an Ohio State runner at home plate both saved runs.