During Sunday afternoon's 15-run outburst by the Penn State baseball team, Buckeyes' ace Alex Wimmers shook his head on the mound as he swung his glove through the air in frustration.
The scene came in stark contrast from Friday's and Saturday's, when the Ohio State pitching staff repeatedly sent Nittany Lion batters from the box to the dugout with eyes focused to the sky, looking for answers. The Lions put up only five combined runs in the first two games.
"We struggled at the plate the first two games, and we were angry," Lions' freshman third baseman Jordan Steranka said. "So we came out stroking today."
While downing the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's No. 28 team, Ohio State, 15-11, Penn State ended Sunday's game by fortifying its 15 runs with 12 hits and 11 walks.
After Saturday afternoon's 12-2 loss at the hands of the Buckeyes (20-4, 2-1), Penn State head coach Robbie Wine sat his team down and reminded it of the importance of staying focused and disciplined in the batter's box.
Wine said his team had been swinging for the fences with each at bat instead of starting rallies during the first two games against Ohio State. But the coach laid that mindset to rest during the team's talk.
"Our approach today was definitely take your time and pick your pitch," Steranka said. "They were throwing a lot of balls and giving a lot of walks, so it was a good approach."
The meeting paid off, and just 2.1 innings into Sunday's contest, the Lions' batters chased Wimmers back to the dugout after pelting him with six earned runs, four hits and five walks.
From then on, the rain-soaked blue-and-white ball players flicked on cruise control as the batters rolled in nine of their runs against an area Penn Sate center fielder Blake Lynd called OSU's weakness -- their bullpen.
"I think a lot of guys made adjustments and took the walk when they gave it to us," Wine said. "We're a team that wants to go get it and make it happen, and sometimes you have to make the game come to you. I think we did that."
Ironically, the Lions' best offensive performance during the Big Ten season-opener series came against the pitcher who lead the Big Ten in both ERA and wins.
Wimmers took the mound with a 1.62 ERA and perfect 5-0 record, but his performance in rainy and cold Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Sunday afternoon was short lived.
Lynd also righted his 0-4 stint at the plate from a day earlier by reaching base five times with three hits and two walks Sunday.
"We've been crushing the ball all season long, our offense has never been an issue," Lynd said. "Sometimes [a drought] happens. That's baseball -- hitting's not easy.
"But we didn't let it carry over."
