Joe Hindelang gradually trod out from the home dugout as the sun was beginning to set behind him. His head hung slightly as his slow, methodical steps belied his current state of mind.

You'll forgive Penn State's baseball coach if he appeared weary after his Nittany Lions dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Delaware yesterday. The twinbill capped off a baseball odyssey that began with a Thursday departure to Minnesota, and concluded with a canceled flight home and an exceptionally worn-out team.

"I am so tired from the trip," Hindelang said. "I am beat up."

Words that could have applied to most anyone on the Lions (18-16, 7-5 Big Ten) team as they looked and started sluggishly in both games, leading to 9-3 and 4-3 losses yesterday at Beaver Field.

The Blue Hens (18-15) jumped out to early leads of 9-0 and 3-0 in the two games and the lethargic Lions bats didn't come to life until the fifth inning of the second game. Designated hitter Lance Thompson hit his first home run of the season -- a two-run shot -- that briefly ignited Penn State to pull even at three, but the Hens took the lead and the game in the next inning on Ryan Graham's RBI single.

"You can tell that everybody is just drained," junior first baseman Clint Eury said. "Before the game, everything was relaxed. You could just feel it -- we didn't have it."

The downside of a quick turnaround game after the weekend reared its head as the Lions fell from the tremendous high of two straight wins at Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday.

The Lions' travel itinerary was not an ideal one for Hindelang, who was most animated when describing the road taken from Happy Valley to Minneapolis and back.

"We don't charter like football and basketball," Hindelang said with a sweep of his arm toward Beaver Stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center a short distance in front of him. "We drive three-and-a-half hours to get to Pittsburgh. We then fly an hour-and-a-half, and then you do the same thing coming back. And you're [there] a day because your flight is canceled. It's all day. And I'm dead tired. I can't imagine how the players are."

Add six games in the span of five days, and it creates a recipe for disaster. Despite the rigorous schedule of playing and travel, Hindelang made clear that it was not an excuse.

"However," Hindelang said immediately following his last statement, "I am disappointed with these games today. I am disappointed with the lack of quality at-bats and with the starting pitching."

Senior Jared Hopewell started the first game and exited after just two innings while surrendering six runs -- all earned -- on eight hits. Freshman Craig Clark also started off rough, allowing three runs in the first inning, but settled down and pitched well enough to keep the Lions in the game.

But no one on the Lions' staff could stop Delaware's Steve Van Note. Van Note tortured Penn State pitchers the entire afternoon, finishing both games a combined seven-for-nine at the plate with four singles, two doubles, a triple and three RBI.

"It's was kind of what we call a 'Bonds day' there," Delaware coach Jim Sherman said. "They just could not get him out. He was obviously a catalyst."

The Lions will get some much-needed rest over the next few days as they prepare for a crucial Big Ten series against Iowa this weekend at Beaver Field. Penn State is tied with three teams at just one game back of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings.

"We're going to take off of practice [today] and try to get our energy back," Hindelang said. "We're just beat."