Sluggers win two of three vs. C.W. Post

By WILLIAM KALEC
Collegian Staff Writer

On two separate occasions the Penn State baseball team set the tone during its home-opening series against C.W. Post.

Nittany Lions center fielder Michael Campo did it with a homerun blast during the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, which Penn State swept 9-1, 7-2. Waiting on a 1-1 pitch, Campo connected with a high fastball and sent a shot over the 405-foot mark and onto to the monstrous green netting that looms over the outfield fence.

He was the first Lions batter of the home season, and its first run, as Campo and the rest of the Lions (10-8) pounded out 21 hits off an overmatched C.W. Post pitching staff.

And that was just the beginning.

Yesterday, the Lions used a six-run ninth inning to light up the scoreboard in favor of the men donning Blue and White. Once again the tone-setting involved the use of the Penn State bats, as the Lions crossed the plate 11 times while tallying 15 hits off Pioneer pitchers David Alt and Hector DuPrey.

The offensive onslaught from Saturday remained.

The only problem was the setting of the tone happened 15 runs too late.

In a complete reversal of offensive fortunes, C.W. Post (3-12-1) knocked around five different Penn State hurlers in a convincing 15-11 win that left everyone in attendance wondering where this Pioneer team was a day earlier.

"It's crazy," Penn State manager Joe Hindelang said. "You look at their hitters yesterday and you look at their hitters today and you don't have an answer. We made two mental mistakes on the same play and you just can't have that happen. The last inning was a great inning, but you can't let them have 15 runs."

The first of those 15 Pioneer runs came in the second inning when C.W. Post center fielder Mike Lynch doubled off Penn State starter Peter Yodis, courtesy of Lions left fielder Scott Hamilton's misjudging of a routine fly ball. Ryan Cox who singled earlier scored on the blunder.

The onslaught continued as Penn State found itself on the short end of a 13-1 score heading into the seventh inning stretch.

When the damage was complete, Penn State pitchers gave up a total of four homeruns, three of which belonged to middle reliever Jeff Kunkle despite pitching just 2/3 of an inning.

"We are the type of team that needs runs to win," C.W. Post manager Dick Vining said. "If we get four or five hits we are not going to win a lot of ballgames."

Support for this statement came the day before.

Penn State starters Dan Goebler and Dan McCall both silenced C.W. Post's bats during Saturday's doubleheader. Pitching a complete game, Goebler gave up just one run on seven hits while striking out five to earn his third win of the young season.

McCall followed that strong performance with one of his own, posting an impressive line of six complete innings, giving up just two earned runs on four hits before he was replaced by closer Mike Watson. Like Goebler, McCall struck out five batters and gave Penn State its best record of the Hindelang era.

"It's kind of like building yourself up to J.V. and varsity in high school," McCall said. "I have a year under my belt, I am not nervous. Last year I got real nervous, especially in front of the home crowd. This year, I don't have any of that."

• Ace Goebler recaptures form against C.W. Post