In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, Penn State head coach Robbie Wine sat next to catcher Ben Heath in the dugout, discussing what the outcome of the game might be.
One pitch later, Heath and the rest of his teammates rushed over the dugout wall as the Nittany Lions (19-12) completed a late-inning, four-run comeback to defeat the Bucknell Bison, 12-11, Wednesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
"I'm a pretty aggressive hitter," Lions' freshman third baseman Jordan Sternaka said. "See the
ball, hit the ball. If it's there, just hit it."
The freshman third baseman did just that when Bucknell (12-19), pitcher Russell Seidell left a breaking ball hanging high and Steranka drove it into right field for a walk-off single. Blake Lynd came in from third base to score the game-winner.
The climactic finish capped off a six-run streak in the final three innings that lifted the Lions from a 10-6 deficit to the win.
"Even if you're down by four, five runs, there's a good opportunity there because of the guys behind you," Penn State reliever David Lutz said. "We never stopped expecting that we were going to come through."
The four-run comeback over a two-inning span was completed in the bottom of the eighth when Rick Marlin smashed a two-out fly ball all the way to the left-field wall with two men on base. Bison leftfielder Drew Constable retreated all the way to the warning track, but crashed into the wall as the ball dribbled out from underneath him.
Two runs scored, setting up the Lions' first walk-off situation of the season after a scoreless top-half of the ninth.
While the Lions needed all nine innings to defeat their interstate-rival -- Wednesday's game was the 145th meeting between the two teams and Penn State's 114th victory against the Bison -- Wine said his team was expecting a hard-fought victory.
"They're going to make a couple hits," Wine said. "You make a couple errors, they're going to put their runs up. We knew it was going to be a game like this."
Wine also used Wednesday's contest as an opportunity to give his young relief pitching staff exercise on the mound.
In just 7.1 innings, Penn State pitchers allowed 12 hits and 10 runs. The coach admitted the Bucknell offensive surge was a combination of good at-bats and shaky, young Penn State pitching.
In the seventh, Lutz came to the mound for the Lions and allowed just two hits and one unearned run in 2.2 innings of work to close out the game and earn himself the win.
"I've been out there a little bit extra. I've had a few more innings than some of the other guys," Lutz said of his success compared to other Lions' relievers. "I'm sure they'll come through. We all believe that."
But in the clubhouse after the win, Penn State coaches were more concerned with Steranka's game-ending heroics, as one coach even stopped to pat the third baseman on the back while he spoke to reporters.
The usual booming music pounding through the hallways from the locker rooms of Medlar Field after a Penn State victory went missing, however.
"It was weird, they were a little quiet in there," Wine said. "I think they thought they were going to handle Bucknell a little better. But anybody that puts on a uniform is going to compete against you."
Wine quickly added his team was ready to use the momentum from Wednesday's hard-fought victory to take on Purdue this weekend for a chance to climb above .500 in conference play for the first time this season.
"It's awesome to have a win like that," Lutz said. "It's just a great feeling."
