Turning to the boys in the pen was anything but a relief.

With a tap of the forearm or a nod of the head, hitters on both sides of the field salivated as though the new arm was fresh meat.

When shortstop-turned-third baseman-turned pitcher-turned shortstop Scott Gaffney returned to the mound to record a win in yesterday's game, it was thought he was just another lamb being led out to slaughter.

"It was a situation where our bullpen was worn out by then," Penn State pitching coach Jason Bell said. "Everybody had thrown a lot of pitches all weekend. They were taxed."

With the pitching staff completely exhausted, Gaffney, who had pitched last year and said he was good to go before yesterday's game, entered in the eighth with a one-run lead. A two-run single erased the save opportunity, but by doubling in the bottom of the inning against the Spartans' own imploding pitching staff, he stood to get the win.

He allowed another run in the top of the ninth, but Penn State overcame it with a walk-off double, scoring Matt Cavagnaro.

"Having Gaffney get in there, the guy hasn't pitched all year and does what he needs to do," Penn State baseball coach Robbie Wine said. "He wasn't sharp but can he get better? Sure he can."

Closer Gary Amato, one of the run-down pitchers from the first three games, blew two saves on the weekend. On Friday, he came on in the eighth inning, but allowed a tying run before Penn State had a walk-off single by Jim Leitgeb. In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, he allowed another run to cross in the seventh. In the eighth, another five runs scored.

With the guys in the pen struggling, and with only two credited saves on the entire staff, Wine said he has to shuffle the staff around, as he did with the lineup last week.

"It's bullpen by committee," Wine said. "Gary Amato, maybe [closer] is not quite his role yet, but if it comes in where Amato's the guy and it's a save situation, then OK, he'll be the guy that day."

Michigan State, undoubtedly, is pondering similar questions. On the whole, the Spartans pitchers went deeper into ballgames, only to watch their efforts squandered by their teammates.

After starter John Dwan allowed just one run in six innings in the second game of Saturday's twinbill, three pitchers allowed a two-out, three-run rally that forced the third extra-inning ballgame of the series. Dwan had nothing to show for his effort, except for a bag of ice on his arm and the frustration of a no decision.

Sunday was more of the same. When Craig Brookes left after six, the relievers allowed nine runs, all of them earned, to cross the plate. Gaffney was off the hook.

Wine said turning to Gaffney may be a microcosm of the answer, as he may turn to other lively arms in search of a go-to guy.

"That's what our focus is going to be -- trying to figure that out. Maybe get some more guys in the mix," Wine said.