As the first game of the doubleheader was ending, Pete Chalfin went into the bullpen at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and starting throwing a ball to his catcher to warm up before his start. It was a football.

Chalfin, a pitcher for the Penn State club baseball team (15-0, 9-0 New Penn West Conference), made the start against Pittsburgh on Saturday after his team had already won two games against its in-state rival on Friday, 4-0, and in the first game of the doubleheader, 13-7.

Throwing a football is something Chalfin has done all season before each start, and it has helped him to continue his dominance of the club's opponents. On Saturday he did not give up a run in five innings in the 6-0 win.

He hasn't even given up a run all season and is 3-0 in conference play.

To Chalfin, throwing the football is something he just started doing one day before a start, and hasn't stopped since.

"I started doing that last year," Chalfin said. "It loosens up my arm. I do it before every start, and it loosens my muscles pretty good."

He doesn't remember how he first came up with the idea but said that he heard that Roger Clemens does it as well.

But he said that it was something that just worked for him.

"It's not that I got it from somebody," Chalfin said. "I don't even remember how it started. I think it was something that where one day, I was just throwing the football and I pitched that day and did very well. From then on I did it every game."

Penn State coach Bill Lippert had no idea why his star pitcher started throwing a football and said that he just lets Chalfin do it, and the results speak loudly.

"I don't ask," Lippert said. "He's a different breed."

Chalfin had some trouble in his start but still managed to pitch out of jams while striking out six Pittsburgh batters.

Sophomore John Parulski pitched the final two innings to close out the game for Penn State.

With the club up 2-0 in the fourth inning, outfielder Rudy Hersh scored on a dive to the plate while avoiding the catcher's tag on a wild pitch.

Errors and wild pitches helped Penn State in a game that saw very few hits from both sides.

On Friday pitching was the key. Greg Lisa pitched seven innings and shutdown Pittsburgh.

"Lisa was outstanding on Friday," Lippert said.

"That was as clean a game as we've played all year."

The first game on Saturday saw an offensive display by both teams.

First baseman Mark Mihalik hit a home run over the Medlar Field wall that Lippert was impressed with.

"That was a no-doubter," Lippert said. "It just made a great sound."

The story of the second game was Chalfin as he admitted that he didn't have his best stuff but still managed to shutdown the opposing batters.

With another win under his belt after throwing a football in his warmups, he will continue his routine as long as the results are positive.

"I just battled today," Chalfin said. "In the end I got through it without giving up any runs."