Defense, pitching plays important in slugger victories

In the case of the Penn State baseball team's doubleheader sweep of Georgetown on Tuesday, sometimes the best offense is a great defense.

Braced by defense and pitching performances that surrendered only three runs in two games, the Nittany Lions took both games from the Hoyas, 6-1 and 3-2, respectively. In a season marked by strong hitting and inconsistent pitching, the domination of the pitching staff over Georgetown's hitters and solid defense seemed to be positive signs for the rest of the season.

"That's what we're shooting for," senior catcher Jared Sadlowsky of the team's improving defense.

Game one was all Matt Dalsey. The Penn State senior left-hander, in his second start of the season, was dominant in pitching a complete game three-hitter. He allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out two.

"Obviously, I thought he did a great job," Georgetown coach Kirk Mason said. "We did everything we could do. It just wasn't enough."

Penn State coach Joe Hindelang also was impressed.

"Matt Dalsey rose to the occasion," he said. "He just exuded confidence, and my God we needed that."

While Dalsey said mastery of his timing and location were keys, he was quick to credit the rest of the team.

"It's always nice to have a great defense," said Dalsey, now 3-1 on the season. "Plus, we've got an outstanding offense."

In game two, Lion closer Joe Martin was used as a starter for the first time this season. After a rocky first inning it appeared as if he would be back in the bullpen before long.

During that inning, after he struck out the leadoff hitter, Martin got in trouble. The next batter, Tim Mooney, was able to beat out an infield hit. Steven Buckley got on board thanks to an error by Lion third baseman Shawn Fagan, and after walking the next hitter to load the bases, Martin again was the victim of an error. Pat Hart's pop fly was bobbled in center field, allowing two runs to score.

The next batter bounced into a double play, however, and Martin never looked back. The junior pitched four scoreless innings as the Lions slowly regained the lead.

"Errors are a part of baseball," Martin said. "It's unfortunate that they happened, but we came back and scored some runs."

Ahead 3-2, he gave way to senior Chris Mattice, who also looked strong, pitching two scoreless innings.

"Joe Martin really settled down," Hindelang said, "and then Chris Mattice came in and threw strikes."