Penn State head baseball coach Joe Hindelang is a pretty shifty guy. He doesn't hesitate to change his line-up or try risky base-running maneuvers. He'll try just about anything to give his club a spark.

But he assured reporters yesterday that his Monday trip to the hospital was not a ploy. Initial reports were that he would miss yesterday's home game against St. Bonaventure, but the Nittany Lion skipper braved the cold and was out coaching third base like normal.

"We played so well," he said sarcastically when asked if his surprise return spurred his team to victory. "It must have really been a jolt to them, an incredible shot of adrenaline — errorless ball, great early pitching."

Hindelang could afford to joke yesterday after his team pounded out an 11-9 win over the Bonnies.

But most importantly, he could relax because he was given a clean bill of health. He was admitted to Centre County Hospital Monday evening after complaining of general nausea and sickness. A battery of tests revealed no trouble with Hindelang's heart and after taking a stress test this morning he was released.

"It wasn't the heart, so that's great news," said Hindelang, who missed part of last season with acute heart pains.

"I kind of expected him to be here," senior catcher Chris Netwall said of his coach. "He can't be sitting in the hospital if we're playing out here."

His team got him the win yesterday, but Hindelang may have felt a little ill watching them make four errors and struggle on the mound.

The Lions had five errors in a loss last Sunday to Purdue. They also have not found the solid rotation of eight or nine pitchers that Hindelang says they will need come Big Ten tournament time.

"We didn't play great," he said. "But coaches struggle for whole careers with midweek games."

The Lions did get clutch hitting late in the game, something they've been missing in the last few outings. With the ballgame tied, Netwall hit a towering home run to left field in the sixth inning to give the Lions a 9-7 lead. After the Bonnies again tied the game, Chris Wright drove in Zack Smithlin for the winning run with a triple in the eighth inning. Wright then scored on a Netwall single.

"It keeps the pressure on them," Wright said of the late game hot bats. "It keeps them guessing. The can't just rest on their laurels."

Netwall has been locked in since the beginning of the Purdue series, smacking three dingers in five games. He was 2-for-5 yesterday and drove in three runs. His long fly came after coach Jon Ramsey advised him to stop pressing at the plate. Netwall waited on a hanging curve ball and crushed it.

Hindelang stressed the importance of hitting with runners on base.

"We have struggled since the Iowa game with getting that timely hit," he said. "Guys come up and they are tight."

When the offense sputters in late game situation, it magnifies defensive and pitching mistakes. The Lions can not get those three aspects of the game pumping at the same time, and as a result have not developed a solid sense of team momentum.

But yesterday they were less concerned with baseball. The biggest thing was seeing their coach in good working order, safe and healthy, back on the bench with them.