Hitting is contagious.
At least, it was for the Penn State baseball team this weekend and the Lions (5-7) hope to continue the hot hitting against Cornell (3-7) in a doubleheader starting today at 1 p.m. in Ithaca, N.Y.
In the two victories over Delaware, the Nittany Lions collectively batted .320. Penn State was able to string together a series of hits and score multiple runs in an inning.
In the eighth inning of the second game against Delaware, the Lions scored seven runs on five hits. On Sunday, Penn State jumped out early by scoring four runs in the first inning, on the strength of a three-run homer by Wes Reohr.
Penn State assistant coach Jon Ramsey said that getting hit after hit is better than hitting a solo home run because the latter takes the pressure off the pitcher because no runners will be on base.
"Scoring in a bunch is very important," Ramsey said. "It's nerve-racking for the pitcher because he is never able to get out of trouble. It keeps the pressure on."
Some of the Lions' hitters have struggled in the early going. But others have been unlucky, as they have hit the ball hard but have found fielders' gloves. Mike DeRenzo, who is a career .356 hitter, is batting .208 this season. Ramsey said that he is not worried about DeRenzo because he's hitting the ball hard but right at people. He added that the game of baseball is frustrating but slumps always seem to end with bloop hits
"Coach [Randy] Ford said he's hitting .208, but he's the best .208 hitter in the country," Ramsey said.
Clint Eury has struggled thus far this season as he is 5-for-30 and has the same syndrome DeRenzo has -- he's hitting the ball hard but not getting any results. Ramsey said that three balls Eury hit this weekend could have fallen in for hits.
Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang made the decision this weekend to move Zack Smithlin out of the No. 2 spot in the order and batted him seventh. He is hitting .271 with 11 strikeouts on the season, and he went 3-for-11 this weekend in his new spot in the lineup.
"He's struggling right now," Hindelang said. "I'm confident that he will improve."
Ramsey said that as much as Smithlin has struggled at the plate, his defense in the outfield more than makes up for any of his struggles at the plate.
"If doesn't matter if he gets another hit the rest of the season," Ramsey said. "He's great defensively and has great speed. He's one of the best defensive outfielders in the Big Ten--if not in the country. I want him to get hits, but he'll remain in the lineup."
Even with the tough times, the team as a whole has played well. Ramsey said that the team couldn't take Cornell lightly, despite the fact that they are an Ivy League school.
"On paper everyone expects us to win," Ramsey said. "But we need to play cleanly and play solid defense, or we can lose."
And the Lions don't want that to happen before conference play.
