Collegian Sports Briefs for Monday, Mar. 2, 1998

Trackmen take seventh at Big Tens

The Nittany Lions finished with 51 points, 57 behind first place Minnesota which finished with 108 points.

McNutt was the only first-place winner for the Lions in the two-day competition.

Lion jumper John Gorham finished second in the long jump competition, behind the defending champion Bashir Yamini from Iowa, with a mark of 24-6 ½. Yamini jumped 24-11 ¼ and by doing so qualified for the NCAA's.

Lion runner Joe Loner, the defending Big Ten indoor 800-meter champion, finished second behind Illinois' Bobby True with a time of one minute, 50.12 seconds. True crossed the finish line with a time of 1:49.75. The times of both runners qualified them for the NCAA's.

Freshman sprinter Ben Karcz ran strong in the 600-meter dash, finishing third with a time of 1:19.51.

Karcz finished at third place behind Scott Beadle from Minnesota with a time of 1:18.93 and winner Matt Klima from Illinois with a time of 1:18.51, which was a Lambert Field House record.

Also worthy of mention was James Cook, who walked away with second place in the men's heptathlon competition.

-- by Craig Kackenmeister

Sluggers drop two of three to Winthrop

After eight and two-thirds innings of near perfection on the mound from the senior righty, the Penn State baseball team (2-7) took the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Winthrop (13-4) with a 6-0 victory at Eagle field in Rock Hill, S.C.

Bump was unstoppable. He scattered three hits and struck out a career-high 14 batters while issuing just one free pass.

Senior righthander Joe Martin came in to relieve Bump and preserved the shutout. Shortstop Adam Beers provided the only needed offensive support as he jacked a solo homerun over the centerfield fence in the top of the third.

In game two the teams battled back and forth with Winthtop eventually pulling out a 10-9 win on a throwing error by Lion second basemen Eric Spadt.

Penn State took a 9-7 lead in the top of the seventh when Beers hit a bases-loaded triple down the rightfield line.

The Eagles responded with one run on a double by catcher Craig Plappert. With runners on second and third Spadt's throw got by catcher Chris Netwall allowing both runners to score.

In Sunday's contest the Eagles used a five run fourth inning to oust the Lions 8-3. Winthrop starter Terry Krosschell gave up one hit in five and one-third innings of work to earn the win.

-- by Todd J. Engel

Netmen fall to No. 17 Harvard Crimson

Penn State dropped all three doubles matches in falling to 2-2 on the season. Harvard improved to 6-2.