To be able to succeed as a group in any walk of life, you need strength at the top.

Well, the Penn State baseball team has that in spades with Brian Ernst and Matt Cavangaro at the top of the order.

The duo showed exactly how dynamic they are as table setters in yesterday afternoon's 12-6 win against Duquesne. They came out of the gates swinging during the Nittany Lions four-run first inning. Ernst led off the inning with a shot to right-center field, and promptly moved to third on a hit by Cavagnaro that was harshly ruled and error on Dukes' left fielder Corey Brungo. Ernst and Cavagnaro both came around to score after the next two Penn State batters walked. For the game, they combined to hit 6-for-8 and scored five runs of the Lions 12 runs.

"It sets a tone for the team," Ernst said, referring to getting on base as the lead off hitter. "Hitting up at the top of the line-up you're job is to get on base and let the guys below you to knock you in. And I think if we do that it sets the tone."

Ernst has been the best contact hitter on team all season, which makes him the prototypical leadoff hitter. He is tied for the team lead in multi-hit games with 10, including five three-hit games. The sophomore outfielder is hitting a tremendous .359, while gathering a high on-base percentage (.422).

Cavagnaro, Ernst's partner in crime, has slid perfectly into the two-hole during the last two games. His ability to take pitches and work the count has allowed the middle of the Lions' order the ability to get a read on the pitcher. His knowledge of the strike zone is the reason why he's tied for the team lead in walks (16), which then ultimately leads to his team leading 21 runs scored.

"There's a lot of patience [at the top of the order]," Penn State coach Robbie Wine said. "And Cavagnaro seems to be thriving on that two-hole. With situational type hitting, he's done a really good job with that this season. Maybe this is perfect for both these guys.

Wine used the combination all through out the fall, but when opening day rolled around Cavagnaro was the lead off man and Ernst ended up in the five-hole. Wine kept them a part in the line-up for the majority of the season, but when the two have batted next to each other, Penn State has a record of 4-4 and the Lions are 5-17 when they are separated.

"Wherever we hit we're going to try and do the same thing," Ernst said. "It seems to work out pretty well with us up there. We're both contact hitters, so we're not going to hit a lot of home runs. We both have a great eye at the plate, and we're going to put the ball in play most of the time."

The Lions' are averaging 11.5 runs in the last two games with Ernst and Cavagnaro as table setters, so if the duo stay consistent the Lions should have no trouble scoring runs.