And that's the ball game folks, Penn State's season is over. Thanks for tuning in folks. See you next time here at Crosse Check.
***
1:30 - Fourth quarter - 14-10 Blue Hens
Anthony Ruiz takes advantage of Nichols out of the goal, playing defense. Delaware takes a timeout with just over a minute to play. The Lions are searching for a miracle with a four-goal defecit and not much time to play.
***
3:52 - Fourth quarter - 13-9 Blue Hens
With his sixth goal of the game, Dickson puts the Blue Hens up by four. Panic settling in for the Lions.
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6:30 - Fourth quarter - 12-9 Blue Hens
Vosburgh cuts the lead to three and now the Lions go man-up for a minute. A Chris Hogan shot is saved on the Lions only shot of the man-up.
***
7:56 - Fourth quarter - 12-8 Blue Hens
Mackrides gets his third of the game after Fossner came out of the net to try and intercept a pass, leaving Mackrides all aline in front of the net. The clock seems to ticking faster and faster now.
***
11:06 - Fourth quarter - 12-7 Blue Hens
Penn State takes a timeout after Dickson puts in his fifth goal of the game on a nasty behind the back shot right on the crease. Delaware is loud and going nuts in this timeout and looks hungry for more. A poor pass out of the timeout turns the ball over to Penn State.
***
End of the third quarter - 11-7 Blue Hens
A Kevin Kaminski goal in the waning seconds put Delaware back up by four. You can see a clear edge in emotion for the Blue Hens heading into the fourth quarter. Just 15 minutes of play left for the Lions to clinch a spot in the CAA playoffs.
***
2:41 - Third quarter - 10-7 Blue Hens
Lions finally score after almost a twenty minute drought. Colton Vosburgh scores his second of the game on a great feed from Mackrides. Penn State needs to build on Vosburgh's goal to get back into this game.
***
5:41 - Third quarter - 10-6 Blue Hens
Two straight poor offensive possessions for the Lions. They couldn't capitalize on a one-minute Delaware penalty, or a moving pick call on the Blue Hens. Penn State needs to find a way to shut down Delaware's momentum right now. The Blue Hens are playing with a lot of intensity, led by Fossner's efforts in goal.
***
10:30 - Third quarter - 9-6 Blue Hens
After a fine save from UD's Noah Fossner, the Blue Hens turned a lengthy possession into a Grant Kaleikau goal. Delaware's really controlling the tempo now with four unanswered goals.
***
13:18 - Third quarter - 8-6 Blue Hens
Delaware's Martin Cahill draws first blood in the second half. He released a laser from the near the top of the box. Nichols didn't see it for a second. Penn State on the attack now. Let's see if they can capitalize.
***
End of the first half - 7-6 Blue Hens
Penn State almost kills another man-up opp. for Delaware after a slashing call on Mackrides. Nichols played huge in the final minute of play, making multiple stops right on the crease. Having to jump into the game with no warning, Nichols is playing solidly in-between the pipes. Penn State played the aggressor in the first quarter, while the Blue Hens took over the second quarter. Just a tight game here heading into the second half, but check up on the Phils, see how the Pens are doing, and get back here in a few minutes for the start of the third quarter.
***
2:33 - Second quarter - 7-6 Blue Hens
Dickson put in another goal to give the Blue Hens their first lead of the game on another 30-second man-up opportunity. On the Lions' ensuing possession, Mackrides ran down almost a minute off the clock with no pressure at all from the Delaware defense. Plenty of time off the clock but no goal to show for it.
***
6:25 - Second quarter - 6-6
A 30-second interference penalty on Billy Davis gave the Blue Hens a man-up opportunity and Dickson made the Lions pay, firing a shot past Nichols. Nichols stopped the first two shots he saw, but Dickson's rocket was too much.
***
7:54 - Second quarter - 6-5 Lions
Freshman Kyle Van Thof puts the Lions up by a goal on a powerful, turn around shot after coming around the edge of the cage. Penn State goalie Dave Baker is icing his hand on the sideline. Not sure of the severity of the injury, but if he can't return, Nichols will need to adjust, and adjust quickly.
***
10:51 - Second quarter - 5-5
A slash call on Penn State defenseman Greg Brown gave the Blue Hens a one-minute man-up opportunity. Baker made two phenomenal saves to kill the penalty, but as soon as the penalty was released, Delaware's Martin Cahill tied the game on a bouncer over Baker's left shoulder. John Nichols checks into the game for the Lions, not sure why Baker was taken out of goal. But he makes a nice save on the first shot he sees.
***
13:33 - Second quarter - 5-4 Lions
Colton Vosburgh gave the Lions the first lead of the second quarter with a sweet, unassisted goal at the 14:12 mark. Penn State won back to back face-offs to open the quarter, but couldn't capitalize on the second possession.
***
End of the first - 4-4
A very hectic last few minutes of play in the first. The Lions have been moving the ball well on the offensive end, looking for good shots. On the defensive end, Billy Davis is playing very tough defense on Delaware's Dickson. Baker's been making some tough saves as well and is aggressive as usual coming out of the net. Looks like we're in for a tight one here tonight.
***
4:43 - First quarter - 4-4
I don't if either team is ever going to be able to pull away tonight. Chris Hogan ripped in a shot to give the Lions a one-goal lead, but sure enough, Delaware fired back on the next possession to tie it up. The Lions take a timeout to regroup. Both teams bringing plenty of intensity tonight.
***
6:25 - First quarter - 3-3
These two teams going blow for blow here. Matt Mackrides gave the Lions the lead again on a nifty assist from Anthony Basciano. Delaware won the next face-off on a missed groundball opportunity by the Lions. Anthony Ruiz tied the game for the Blue Hens on a bounce shot past Baker. The Penn State defense seems to be okay with out injured starter Matt Bernier.
***
10:03 - First quarter - 2-2
After a quick goal from Mackrides on a bounce shot to give the Lions the lead, the Blue Hens won a face-off and turned a fast break into a Curtis Dickson goal right on the crease. Penn State goalie Dave Baker didn't have a chance. The Lions have been successful in the face-off circle so far, going 3-4.
***
10:27 - First quarter - 1-1
The Blue Hens strike first on a John Austin goal from deep. The Lions had a long offensive possession with a few misses from Shea, Mackrides and Basciano, but couldn't capitalize. Nick Dolik finds the back of the net on what looked like a pass that managed to trickle in. Penn State looking very aggressive on offense so far.
***
Senior night festivities are underway here at Jeffrey Field. Coach Glenn Thiel is handing out varsity letter-man blankets, blue blankets with a felt Penn State "S" right on the front, to this seniors, along with a big hug and an even bigger smile. The crowd here is loving it too, plenty of family in attendance.
***
Good evening Penn State fans, Mike Still here to provide you with live coverage of tonight's game between the Nittany Lions and the Delaware Blue Hens. It's a big night for the Lions, with the send off of ten seniors and a spot in the CAA on the line. We've got just under nine minutes till the first face-off, so sit tight, grab some Cheez-Its, maybe a Dr. Pepper and stay tuned.
Comments
Well, the fate of the Lions' season comes down to this weekend. Penn State (2-10, 1-3 CAA) will host Delaware (7-6, 2-2 CAA) this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Win and they're in to the CAA playoffs. Lose and summer vacation starts early. Let's see what the Lions will be up against.
Previously against Penn State:
With an overall record of 14-6 against the Blue Hens, Lions are in control of the all-time series. A 16-8 Penn State victory in 2002 was the most recent meeting between the two teams.
What they've done so far:
Each one of Delaware's six losses this season have come to teams that have been in the top 20 USILA Coach's Poll at some point this season. But coming into this game the Blue Hens are coming off back-to-back wins against ranked opponents. The Blue Hens took down No. 9 UMass, 9-6, and No. 13 Drexel, 10-6.
Offense:
A finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy for the National Player of the Year, senior Curtis Dickson (pictured below) is arguably the most dangerous attackman in the country. Dickson's 48 goals and 60 points led the Blue Hens in both categories and his 3.69 goals per game average is second in the nation. The Port Coquitlam, British Columbia native was a was a four-year Provincial All-Star during his box lacrosse playing days and uses those skills developed in the indoor game to his advantage in the American outdoor game. From the midfield, senior Martin Cahill is second on the team with 26 goals.
Defense:
A trio of junior long-poles handle the defensive duties for the Blue Hens. Pat Dowling and Tim Langmaid have started every game and have both picked up 22 groundballs, but their respective styles of play are worlds apart. At 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, Dowling is the tallest member of the Delaware team and uses his size and strength to man-handle opponents. Langmaid on the other hand stands just 5-foot-10 and possess strong stick skills and quickness. Rounding out the defensive unit is Matt Stefurak. The 6-foot-4 long-pole has started all but one game and has scooped up 10 groundballs.
Goaltending :
Junior co-captain Noah Fossner has started every game between the pipes for Delaware, and has done a solid job thus far. Fossner boasts a 9.61 goals against average and .514 save percentage.
Keys to the game:
-Shutting down the weapons: Besides Dickson and Cahill, the Blue Hens don't have a lot of offensive options. John Austin's 12 goals are the next highest behind Cahill's 26. If the Penn State defense can cause problems for Delaware's go-to-guys, it won't be easy for the rest of the offense to get things going.
-Intensity: The season comes down to this one game. It hasn't been the smoothest season for the Lions, but they're lucky enough to have put themselves in position to still play postseason lacrosse. For the seniors, it's potentially their last game donning the blue and white. They need to set the tone early.
Around the NCAA:
-Game of the week: No. 10 Cornell at No. 7 Princeton, Saturday at 5 p.m. (ESPNU) - These two rivals have a long history together battling in the Ivy League, and this year's edition should do the rivalry justice. The Big Red's Ryan Hurley is second in the Ivy League with 2.5 goals per game, while the TIgers' 10.42 saves per game average is tied for first in the conference.
-Player to watch: Chris Daniello, Syracuse Attack - In his past two games, Daniello has been on fire. The senior notched three goals in a win against Cornell, and followed that performance with a six-point, four-goal game to take down Rutgers. Daniello and the No. 2 Orange will take on No. 19 Notre Dame this Saturday.
The rundown: The No. 12 Penn State men's volleyball team kicks off the postseason tonight with an EIVA tournament semifinal match against Springfield College at Rec Hall.
Already champs: This is the Pride's first appearance in the EIVA semifinals -- but they're no stranger to winning. Springfield comes into tonight's match fresh off of capturing its sixth Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship, essentially the Division III National Championship.
Looking for win No. 1: The Nittany Lions hold a perfect 30-0 record against Springfield, including two wins in 2010. The Lions swept the Pride on Jan. 23 in Massachusetts, then defeated them again on Feb. 6 at Rec Hall 3-1. The Feb. 6 match, however, snapped Penn State's streak of 23 wins over EIVA opponents without losing a set.
Storyline to follow: After a stretch this season of 15 matches in 45 days, Penn State enters tonight's match rested. The Lions have had nearly two weeks off since their last contest -- a 3-1 victory over George Mason in Fairfax, Va. Penn State struggled a bit down the stretch. Can they put things back together en route to a 12th-straight EIVA title and a trip to Stanford for the NCAAs?
Prediction: Penn State 3, Springfield 1. I think the Lions' semifinal match will be more of a test than their potential finals' match -- against the winner of George Mason and Princeton. The Pride -- a team laden with seniors -- will come out fighting tonight. But the rested Lions should be able to match that intensity.
Tomorrow night the Penn State men's volleyball team will host Springfield College at Rec Hall for an EIVA tournament semifinal game. Eric and I sit down with former beat writers Tom Kinslow and Mike Oplinger to break down the action. Check it out:
This week we got to know senior defenseman Earl Ross. After missing the first four games of the season with a hand injury, Ross has come on strong in the second half of the season, scooping up 19 groundballs. We found out a little bit about his career as an entrepreneur in high school and what he plans on doing this summer.
Crosse Check) What comes to mind when I say the name Matt Mackrides?
Earl Ross) Extremely athletic, super quick, determined and self-sufficient.
CC) We've only got a week left of school, do you have any plans for the summer?
ER) It's pretty much a win-win situation for me. I'm waiting to hear back from a job with a company called Schlumberger, a leading company in oil-fill services, so I can utilize my degree there. Otherwise I'll probably go back home and get a regular job. Just make money and hang out and enjoy the limelight of being done with college.
CC) Being done with college; is that a scary thing or are you excited?
ER) A lot of people get all worried and they're kind of scared to move on to that next level but I think I have a pretty good perspective of what the real world's like. But I'm not too worried about it, I'm actually kind of excited to see where I go next. With the degree I have, I just have a lot of options. I could do what I've done in the past and start a small business. I've done that before in high school. Or I could hop on with a company. I'd like to go across the country, maybe head out to the West Coast. There's a bunch of options.
CC) You started a business in high school?
ER) Yeah, actually. I started an inner encampment when I was about 15. It started off with a small capital investment of around 2,000 dollars. I took out a loan and started a business in Kellington, Vt., a round-resort and I made back all the money I put into it and way more my first season. By the time I was done, I probably made a profit of about 20,000. And that all went to college, so I have a little bit of experience and it was fun.
CC) Do you have a favorite sport other than lacrosse?
ER) I grew up playing football, and that was my original passion. But I had more personal opportunities out of Vermont with lacrosse. So I'd say football is probably my favorite sport, and then basketball because it's one of those sports you can get out and play with no equipment and just a ball.
CC) Who's your favorite NFL team?
ER) You know, I've been really disheartened these days. I don't follow too many teams anymore. I follow personalities. I'm the kind of guy who likes the players that everyone else hates. So my favorite players are probably T.O. and Ochocinco.
CC) What's your favorite class you've ever taken at Penn State?
ER) It's probably a nice little elective I took either my freshman or sophomore year, it was STS, Science and Technology Studies, and the name of the course was The Ascent of Man. It was this brief overview of and study of how technology has impacted technology and how technology impacted man and the interplay between the two. Sometimes we're in control, sometimes it's out of our control.
CC) Last question, how'd you start playing defense when you got into lacrosse?
ER) I'm sure I'm not the only person who's been in the position but when I first started playing, I was probably the slowest, least athletic kid on the field. So they stuck me at the defensive end with a long-stick in my hand and told me to run around and swing the stick. That's how it started, I was in pretty bad shape as a kid. But then all of a sudden in fifth grade, I just started playing three sports. I went from a one-sport athlete to a three-sport athlete, got rid of baseball and replaced it with lacrosse.
CC) I was a fat kid growing up too. It's rough, isn't it?
ER) Yeah, it's not easy. But it definitely gives you a good perspective and it humbles you a lot. So I'm not a hater, that's for sure.
Penn State assistant coach Colin McMillan has been named to the 2010 U.S. Men's Junior National Team's coaching staff this summer, USA Volleyball announced Tuesday.
McMillan will serve as an assistant coach on the team along with Brad Keller of Southern California. Long Beach State's John Hawks was named the team's head coach.
In the release, USA Volleyball also announced a 19-player roster that will later be trimmed down to 12. No Nittany Lions were selected.
The U.S. Men's Junior National Team will compete at the NORCECA Men's Junior Continental Championship on Aug. 14-22 in Quebec, Canada. The top two teams at NORCECA will qualify for the 2011 FIVB Men's Junior World Championship at a date and site to be determined.
McMillan, a 6-foot-11 middle hitter, was a former standout at Ohio State. He is the Buckeyes' career record holder in hitting percentage (.481), block assists (473) and total blocks (548). He was also a member of the 2001 United States National Team that captured the gold medal at the World University Games in Beijing, China. McMillan is in his second season with Penn State.
Comments
A hit by DeBo leads off the inning as the ball trickles past the third baseman and into the outfield.
Eramo, who had been hot as of lately, strikes out swinging for the first out.
Jacobs goes down swinging just like Eramo for another out. Deegan is up to bat as Penn State's last shot at turning this game around.
And that's the ball game as Deegan grounds to the second baseman to chalk this one up as a loss for the Lions. After winning two big games against Ohio State, Penn State is unable to carry over the momentum tonight on its home field.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
La Salle 3, Penn State 2
FINAL
Top 9
Pierce remains in the game for PSU. The bullpen has had a successful day without allowing a single run since relieving Walter.
The first Explorer grounds out to second base followed by a high infield fly ball to short for two quick outs.
Pierce completes the quick three up and three down inning with a fly ball out. Penn State has three outs left before this one is over. Let's see if it can get it done.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
La Salle 3, Penn State 2
Bottom 8
The top of the lineup is due for Penn State with Searer, Snyder and Steranka set to bat.
Searer strikes out swinging for the first out of the eighth. Only five more to go for Penn State before this one is over.
A groundout by Snyder to the first baseman is the second out of the inning.
Steranka singles to give the Lions hope with power hitting Ben Heath up next but the designated hitter hits a lazy fly ball to right field. Penn State will have one more inning to tie this game up with its five, six and seven hitters due up in the ninth.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
La Salle 3, Penn State 2
Top 8
Pierce remains on the mound for Penn State and gets two quick outs.
First he gets La Salle's Gyles to fly out to right field and then gets Flax to ground out to third base.
After strolling through the first two batters, Pierce runs into trouble by walking the next batter and giving up a single to put runners on the corners.
With a runner in scoring position, Pierce comes through and gets the next hitter to fly out to center to end the inning.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
La Salle 3, Penn State 2
Bottom 7
Bobby Jacobs grounds out to shortstop for the Lions first out of the seventh inning.
DeBernardis heads to the bullpen to warm up. Looks like we might be seeing the first baseman on the mound sometime tonight.
Deegan flies out to the left fielder for out No. 2.
Glantz strikes out again to end the inning for Penn State. That's Glantz's second strikeout on the game. Lions trail by one run but time is running out with only two more innings to play. After a big series win at Ohio State, this should be a game Penn State's wins if they want to carry over any momentum into this weekend.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
La Salle 3, Penn State 2
Top 7
Grumley still in the game pitching for Penn State after he got the big double play to end the sixth inning threat.
La Salle's first batter leads off with a single over the second baseman's head and moves to second after the next hitter lays down a great bunt.
Grumley still all over the place as he hits the another batter. The pitcher has walked four batters and hit two in 2.1 innings. However, despite the control problems, Grumley doesn't give up a run with Mike Pierce replacing him. He does have two runners on base that Pierce will need to deal with.
Pierce gets his first batter to fly out to center field. Only one out to go to keep the deficit at one and get out of the jam.
And Pierce does his job by getting the next hitter to ground out to the first baseman for out No. 3. Despite his wildness, Grumley ends up throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless ball.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
La Salle 3, Penn State 2
Bottom 6
Another pitching change for La Salle, as Cody Weiss takes the mound to start the sixth. Coming into tonight's game Weiss had 12 appearances, 10 of which were starts, and has a 3-4 record.
Weiss gets Heath to go down swinging at a 94 mph fastball. One away.
He does one better against DeBernardis, sitting him down on a 95 mph heater.
Eramo finally puts one in play for Penn State, but it's lined right at the center fielder, who puts it away to end the sixth with La Salle clinging to a one-run lead.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 2, La Salle 3
***
Top 6
Grumley throws a curve inside that doesn't break at all, and Norton leans into it to draw a hit by pitch.
Grumley was not happy with the ruling, claiming Norton leaned into it and should not have been awarded first base.
Doesn't matter, though, as Grumley picks him off first before even throwing the next pitch. One out.
Grumley issues his second walk of the night, and nearly picks that runner off first as well on a close play at first.
Back-to-back walks for Grumley, as he has now put all three runners on base this inning without giving up a hit.
Despite the hit batter and two walks, La Salle has runners on only first and second with one out because of the pick off.
Third-straight walk now, as Grumley walks Umstead on just four pitches. Bases loaded with one out for Schoch.
Grumley gets out of the jam, though, as Schoch lines out to Steranka at third, who quickly throws to Searer covering second to double-off the runner. Inning over on the double play.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB
Penn State 2, La Salle 3
***
Bottom 5
Penn State has Glantz, Searer and Snyder coming up to start the fifth.
After fouling off a couple pitches during his at bat, Glantz goes down swinging. One out.
Searer works a full count before lining a ball into left for second hit of the day.
Second strikeout of the inning, as Snyder goes down looking, bringing up Steranka with a runner on first and two outs.
And now Steranka goes down swinging, as Eric Van Wyk comes on in relief and strikes out the side in his first inning of work.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 2, La Salle 3
***
Top 5
After his six-pitch inning in the fourth, Walter's day is over, as Penn State brings in Calvin Grumley from the bullpen.
Grumley gets his day off to a good start, striking out the first batter he faces for just his ninth strikeout of the season.
He follows that up with his 19th walk of the season, putting Canfarotta on with one out.
Grumley gets in on the hands of the next batter, forcing him to pop out to the left side of the infield, where Glantz is waiting to put it away for out No. 2.
Canfarotta swipes second and then gets up and goes to third, as the throw down ends up in center field. Runner on thirs with two outs.
But Grumley gets the batter to chop one to Steranka at third, who makes the throw across the diamond to end the top of the fifth.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 2, La Salle 3
***
Bottom 4
Heath set to lead off Penn State's half of the fourth inning. After falling behind in the count, 1-2, Heath ground one to the right side on a check swing. Gyles fields it and beats Heath to the bag at first to record the first out.
DeBernardis steps in now, he grounded one weakly back to the pitcher in his first at bat.
He lifts one to left-center field that carried just long enough to escape both the left fielder and center fielder. It lands in the gap then bounces over the wall in left-center for a ground-rule double.
Eramo can't duplicate his last at bat when he hit a towering homer to right, as he grounds out to Gyles at first. The ground out to the right side does allow DeBernardis to move up to third, though, with two outs.
And it pays off for Penn State, as Jacobs grounds one back through the box for a base hit, knocking in DeBernardis from third.
Deegan grounds out to the shortstop one pitch later to end the fourth, but Penn State pushes another run across to cut the lead to one, 3-2.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 2, La Salle 3
***
Top 4
Walter starts off the fourth by getting Flax to ground out to Searer at second. One away.
Another groundout, this one to third base, and Penn State has recorded two quick outs to start the fourth.
And now a fly out to center field, and Walter pitches a quick, 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, throwing only six pitches to record the three outs.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 1, La Salle 3
***
Bottom 3
Searer is up again after Deegan was caught stealing to end last inning. He hits a fly ball that carries off the right field wall. Searer is thrown out trying to extend the hit into a triple. It was a close play.
Snyder singles on a liner that probably should have been caught by the 2B. It went right off his glove.
Steranka lines out to first and Snyder is doubled off.
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 1, La Salle 3
***
Top 3
Meagher flies out to center field.
Norton walks.
With Norton running on the pitch, Gyles lines out to left. Deegan's throw was off line or else it may have been a double play.
Jacobs throws out Norton attempting to steal second for the third out.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 1, La Salle 3
***
Bottom 2
DeBernardis is retired on a swinging bunt back to the pitcher. One Out.
Eramo does his best Pedro Cerrano and cranks a home run out of the park. It went over the right field bleachers.
Jacobs grounds out to SS for the second out.
Deegan nearly takes Klem's head off as he smokes a single back up the middle.
With Deegan running, Glantz singles to left field.
Deegan is thrown out trying to steal 3rd. That's the first time he's been caught stealing this year. He is now 23-for-24 in SB attempts.
1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 1, La Salle 3
***
Top 2
Gyles singles up the middle.
Flax hits a bunt single that stops between the Jacobs and Walter.
Umstead lines out to center for the first out.
Schoch singles on a line drive to right, but Eramo gets the ball back into the infield quickly to prevent a run from scoring.
The bases are loaded for Jones. He lifts a deep fly ball to left field that is good for a sacrifice fly. The runners each advanced, so the Explorers still have two in scoring position.
Canfarotta hits a two-run single to center to make it 3-0 La Salle.
Malloy pops out to SS to end the inning.
3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, La Salle 3
***
Bottom 1
Searer steps in to lead off the Lions' half of the inning. He grounds out on a chopper to 3B.
Snyder singles on a line drive to right field.
Steranka flies out to left field for the second out.
Heath flies out to right field to end the inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, La Salle 0
***
Top 1
Walter misses with his first two pitches but gets Malloy to fly out to Snyder in center for the first out.
Deegan makes a nice running catch on the warning track to retire Meagher for a quick second out.
Norton grounds out to SS to end a quick 1-2-3 inning.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 0, La Salle 0
***
A midget priest just threw out the first pitch, and four guys dressed up as the American Flag sang the National Anthem. So far it's an eventful night at Medlar.
***
It's Faith Night here at Medlar Field. If there was ever a game for angels in the outfield, this is it.
It's the last Pavcast of the year and we have the Penn State men's volleyball coach looking to the postseason.
In this edition of our weekly video segment, Mark Pavlik discusses why he's excited for Thursday's EIVA tournament game at Rec Hall, what the Nittany Lions are expecting from their opponent, Springfield College, and what other playoff run he can't help but follow at this time of year.
It's the last Monday Minute of the year, and we have perhaps our most candid interview yet.
This week's subject is setter Edgardo Goas. And we get a little taste of everything, including a look at the redshirt sophomore's typical pregame ritual and what similarities he sees between actor Will Smith and teammate Will Price.
As is the case with every group, the Penn State baseball team has its own identity. It's filled with many players, each with his own individual personality. However, there are some Nittany Lion players who seem to be strikingly similar to some of the characters of a few of the great baseball movies of our generation. Here's a list of some members of the Penn State team and their "twin" from various Hollywood baseball teams.
Ben Heath- Dottie Henson (A League of Their Own)
Like Heath, the female catcher for the Rockford Peaches was a successful hitter and solid backstop. It's no knock on Heath to be compared to Henson. After all, she was arguably the best player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Let's see him catch a pop-up while doing a split.
Sean Deegan- Willie Mays Hayes (Major League)
Hayes' speed made him a threat to steal every time he got on base. The same can be said for Deegan. The Penn State left fielder leads the team in steals and has gotten several infield singles during the season.
Elliot Searer- Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (The Sandlot)
Searer's speed has made him a threat on the bases and a reliable player in the field. Benny the Jet used his speed to roam the outfield of the sandlot before coming infamous for out-running The Beast. We're still waiting for Searer to provide a moment that begins his legend, but he gets our Benny the Jet vote.
Joey DeBernardis- Miles Pennfield II (Hard Ball)
Miles played third base, but developed into a dominant pitcher (as long as he could listen to Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa"). While DeBernardis lists Jay-Z as his favorite musical artist, he doesn't need the tunes to shut down opposing batters at the end of games. He has a .990 fielding percentage with 373 putouts and is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three pitching appearances.
Steve Snyder- Scotty Smalls (The Sandlot)
Snyder, like Smalls, was a new kid on the team to begin the 2010 season who has turned into a pretty reliable fielder and hitter. Needless to say, Snyder had slightly more skill to begin with than Smalls. Let's just hope the freshman doesn't bring a Babe Ruth-autographed ball to use at practice.
Heath Johnson- Jim Morris (The Rookie)
Johnson said he hadn't pitched before this season since an arm injury in his junior year of high school. An injury ended Morris' career until he made a comeback 12 years later. We can only wonder if Johnson discovered his fastball while throwing next to a traffic radar gun.
Mario Eramo- Pedro Cerrano (Major League)
The Penn State utility man is as mysterious as the pronunciation of his last name (AIR-moe). He may DH or play the outfield, but like Cerrano, hitting is his expertise. There are no reports of Eramo talking to his bat, but we wouldn't be surprised if he snacks on fried chicken before the games.
Mike Wanamaker- Mel Clark (Angels in the Outfield)
Clark was the veteran on the pitching staff after reviving his career. Wanamaker is in the midst of getting back to his 2008 Second-Team All-Big Ten form after injuries kept him out last season. In an important game, it's tough not to give the ball to Wanamaker with his experience.
Justin Lafleur (Penn State baseball communications assistant)- David Montagne (Angels in the Outfield)
Just like Montagne takes care of Roger and J.P., Lafleur takes care of all things Penn State baseball, especially the statistics. Both do whatever it takes to make the team's season run smoothly. Justin has yet to accidently sit down on nachos, but there's still several games left in the season.
Robbie Wine- George Knox (Angels in the Outfield)
Whether Penn State wins or loses, Wine seems to have the same attitude. Wine and Knox are both former catchers who understand the game and know there can't be too many highs or lows throughout the season.
*Photos courtesy of tags-search.com,themixtapemonster.wordpress.com, and starringthecomputer.com
One of the other three gymnasts nominated was LSU's Susan Jackson, Personett's childhood friend and 2010 individual national champion on the balance beam. Jackson competed at regionals on April 10 at Rec Hall, and tied for first in vault with Personett, scoring a 9.950 in that meet. Jackson won the title on the uneven bars that night as well with a 9.950.
The other two nominees are Stanford's Carly Janiga and Missouri's Sarah Shire. Janiga won Saturday's national championship on the uneven parallel bars with a 9.9375, and placed second on the balance beam behind Jackson with a 9.8875.
Shire scored a 9.900 in the floor exercise in Saturday's event finals, tying Personett and Oklahoma's Hollie Vise for second place.
Honda donates $5,000 to the school of the winning gymnast, and $1,000 to the schools of each of the nominees, according to a press release.
Former Georgia gymnast Courtney Kupets, a winner of nine individual national championships and a 2004 U.S. Olympian, won last year's Honda Sports Award.
With the final weekend of the CAA regular season upon us, the stage is set for for a dramatic finish. Only one team, Towson, has less than two losses in conference play, and the rest of the league is wide open at this point. The Tigers' 10-9 victory over Penn State this past Saturday secured them the top spot in the conference, but the remaining five teams are still battling for those top-four spots to make it into the CAA playoffs. Though only Drexel and Delaware played CAA games this past weekend, the results made the Lions' game against the Blue Hens on Friday a whole lot more interesting.
Delaware 10 - Drexel 6
As he's done all year, Curtis Dickson led the Blue Hens (7-6, 2-2 CAA) and gave them the edge they needed on Saturday to pull off the upset of the No. 11 Dragons. The senior attackman scored three times to lead all scorers. Delaware also received key contributions from John Austin and Nick Elsmo, who both found the back of the net twice. In goal, Noah Fossner turned away 12 shots, including four in the fourth quarter.
Colin Ambler's two goals carried the Dragons (9-4, 2-2 CAA) in the loss. Adam Dennis, Robert Church and Brendan Glynn registered two points each off a goal and an assist. Mark Manos stopped 11 shots for Drexel, but the Blue Hens' seven unanswered goals from the second to the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
With Saturday's 10-9 loss to No. 14 Towson, the Nittany Lions have put themselves in a true do-or-die situation. The season has come down to Friday's game against Delaware. If Penn State wins, it will make the CAA playoffs. A loss and the Lions start summer vacation. But before the Blue Hens come to Happy Valley, let's take a look at the Towson game by the numbers.
5...straight wins by the Tigers, solidifying first place in the CAA.
10...Towson players that scored a goal on Saturday.
3...goals scored by both Billy Gribbin and Nick Dolik. The freshmen's hat-tricks give them 22 and 19 goals on the season, good for second and third on the team respectively.
15...turnovers by the Lions.
1...assist by Earl Ross, his first and only of the season.
9...faceoffs won by Charley Henneghan, two more than Towson as a team.
18...Penn State shots in the second quarter.
15...saves by Towson's Travis Love.
0...times the Lions led at any point in the game.
1...game left on Penn State's schedule. The Lions' game against Delaware on Friday night is a must-win if they want to make the CAA playoffs.
Phil Davis was featured at a seminar for MMA fighting at Central PA Mixed Martial Arts. I was able to interview Davis about the event and the Penn State wrestling program. Here's what the 2008 national champion had to say.
Davis on returning to where he began MMA training:
"It still feels like home. It's good to see some familiar faces and hang out in my old stomping grounds."
Comparing training between matches in MMA and wrestling:
"It's kind of the same. It's very similar. You just need to visualize a goal and work toward it. In wrestling, you have a lot shorter time period. It may be only two weeks, a week or a couple days before your next match. It's just being able to visualize your goal and work towards it every day. I think that's ultimately what makes you successful."
Talking about his attitude while training and competing:
"I don't try to go and promote the idea that I'm causing violence. It's not that at all. I'm learning technique, and I want to be technical in my approach to the sport. I'm not going to go out and punch someone with anger. I'm going to punch them with technique and absolutely no ill feelings behind it."
Davis on the similarities of MMA and wrestling:
"The similarities would be the hard work, the training, getting beat up everyday in practice, pushing through injuries, weight loss and pretty much everything. Even as far as the actual fighting, I try to make my style of MMA reflect my wrestling experience."
Davis on the 2009-10 Penn State wrestling team:
"They've done well this year while rebuilding. They're going to do absolutely amazing next year. The year after that, as far as I'm concerned, they're guaranteed a national title."
Talking about Dan Vallimont's championship bout:
"I talked with Dan before his final match. I told him just to go out there and have fun and just wrestle. A lot of people forget to just wrestle because it seems like there's so much more at stake. There's really not. It's just one match. I spoke with him since, he's real satisfied with career and happy with his career. That's all that matters."
Davis' answer to whether or not Cael Sanderson would make a good MMA fighter:
"Cael's awesome. Cael would be great at anything. Cael would be great a thumb wrestling. He puts a lot into anything he does, and right now that coaching. He's going to produce some champions real soon."
Davis on current freshman Ed Ruth, who is from the same area of Pennsylvania:
"I know [Ed] pretty well. He worked out with my coach a bunch. Maybe in like elementary school he was in the elementary program. He's going to be one of the monsters on next year's team."
Junior defender Matt Bernier was hurt in Penn State's 10-9 loss at No. 14 Towson Saturday.
Bernier said he injured his right knee when he tried to make a cut Saturday. He left the game and did not return.
"My knee just didn't go with it," he said.
Bernier said he wasn't sure of the diagnosis yet, whether it was an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury. He did, however, say he get a an evaluated by a doctor on Monday and should know the extention of the injury by later in the week.
Penn State already had one key defender out this season, when freshman Tyler Travis suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee.
Last night, the EIVA tournament kicked off with three quarterfinal matches. Second-seeded Princeton bested Sacred Heart in four sets, George Mason swept Rutgers-Newark -- ending the Scarlet Raiders' improbable postseason run -- and fourth-seeded Springfield topped third-seeded St. Francis, 3-1.
The semifinals -- hosted at Rec Hall April 29 -- will feature a 5:30 p.m. match between George Mason and Princeton then an 8 p.m. start of Penn State vs Springfield.
The Springfield Pride, fresh off winning their sixth Division-III national title, should provide a good test for the No. 12 Nittany Lions. I spoke with Springfield coach Charlie Sullivan last week, and he said he thinks his team is "in a really good place right now."
Check back with Above the Net later this week for a preview of that match and a breakdown of postseason play around the country.
Along with the fact Brandi Personett advanced to event finals on the balance beam and in the floor exercise, and Sharaya Musser advanced in vault, the two garnered multiple All-America accolades in the process at Thursday night's NCAA semifinals in Gainesville, Fla.
All-America status is earned by finishing the top-four in an event, including ties, in a given session, of which there are two.
Personett, a 2008 first-team All-American on the beam and a 2009 first-team All-American in floor exercise, earned 2010 first-team honors in the aforementioned events as well as in the all-around. The senior's 9.875 beam score put her in a six-way tie for second in both sessions of the competition. She was one of 10 gymnasts Thursday to tie for second in the floor exercise with a 9.900, and her 39.475 all-around score placed fifth among all competitors.
As a mere freshman, Musser was a first-team All-American in vault and the all-around. The 2010 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year was a second-team All-American on the beam and in the floor exercise. Musser's 9.900 in vault put her in a 15-way tie for the third-best score in both sessions, and her 9.825 score put her in a 10-way tie for sixth-best in the uneven bars. Musser tallied a 9.850 on the balance beam, which placed her in a nine-way tie for the third-best score in both sessions. Musser was also in a nine-way tie for the third-best score with a 9.875 in the floor exercise.
While the Super Six team finals take place at 6 tonight, Personett and Musser will contend for individual national championships in the event finals Saturday night at 6.
This Saturday, the Lions (2-9, 1-2 CAA) will travel south down I-95 to take on the No. 14 Towson Tigers. At 3-0 in the CAA, Towson (5-5) remains the only undefeated team in league play. Penn State has just two games remaining on its schedule and will likely have to win one of the two to qualify for the CAA playoffs. Let's take a look at what the Tigers will bring to Saturday's match up.
Previously against Penn State:
The Tigers hold a commanding overall lead against the Lions at 11-4 in past meetings. The last time these two teams met was in 2003 in the first round of the NCAA Championship Tournament. Towson ended Penn State's season with an 11-6 victory.
What they've done so far:
Don't let the Tigers' .500 record fool you, they might just be the hottest team in the country right now. The Tigers' five losses this season have come to five ranked opponents outside of the CAA. Their last loss came at the hands of No. 7 Loyola on Mar. 27. But since then, they've won four straight, taking down conference foes Delaware, UMass and Drexel. Here's some highlights from a 15-10 loss to a then No. 1 Virginia team on Mar. 21.
Offense:
With 33 points off 18 goals and 15 assists, attackman Christian Pastirik paces the Tigers' offense. A graduate student and transfer from Cornell, Pastirik brings plenty of experience to the table. Leading Towson in scoring is midfielder Will Harrington. The senior has notched a team-high 20 goals on the year. Junior Tim Stratton has also provided some power from the attack position, registering 21 points off 11 goals and 10 assists.
Defense:
The only defenseman to start every game for the Tigers, sophomore Marc Ingerman anchors the defensive unit. Ingerman has scooped up 12 groundballs for the Tigers and provides a strong physical presence. A pair of seniors, Joe Wascavage and Cameron Zook, also contribute with size and experience. As a group the Towson defense is very agressive and keeps the pressure on the whole game.
Goaltending:
In goal, junior Travis Love has 95 saves on the season. His 8.80 goals against average is third in the conference and his .576 save percentage stands second only to Drexel's Mark Manos.
Keys to the Game:
-Face-offs: The Lions have the clear advantage here, boasting a .567 face-off percentage to the Tigers' .482. Penn State's three-headed face-off unit should have no problem winning battles and getting possessions.
-Defensive communication: Towson's offense is very versatile. It has middies who can move up to attack, and attackmen who can drop to the midfield. The Lions' defense will need to stay on top of their assignments, and limit slides as much as possible.
Around the NCAA:
-Game(s) of the Week: ACC Semi-finals at the University of Maryland - No. 4 Duke vs. No 2 Virginia, Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 3 North Carolina, Friday at 7:30 p.m. - Though they are just four teams in the ACC, those four are arguably the best teams in the country. All four will likely make the NCAA tournament regardless of this weekend's outcome. But the results will offer insight into who will get the top seeds at NCAAs.
-Player to watch: Will Manny, Attack, Umass - Though he's started just three games for the No. 16 Minutemen, Manny leads the team in goals and assists with 22 and 14. The freshman will need to continue his impressive first season this weekend when UMass takes on No. 10 Georgetown in the ESPNU Warrior Classic on Saturday.
Add three more names to the list of incoming freshmen on the Penn State men's soccer team.
Interim head coach Isang Jacob finalized the Nittany Lions 2010 roster Thursday with the announcement of Ehjay Harris and Jordan Tyrna to letters of intent and the transfer of former Villanova goalkeeper Micah Collins. The signings were announced in a press release issued by the Penn State atheltic department.
With the three newcomers, the Lions bring in five fresh faces for next year. Joining Harris, Tyrna and Collins will be true freshmen Jordan Tyler, Moyosore Akinade and Sepp Dasbach, who all signed prior to Barry Gorman's resignation.
Harris adds another international player to the Lions roster, coming from the island nation of Saint Kitts in the Eastern Carribean. A 6-foot forward, Harris played for the Saint Kitts U-17 and U-20 national teams and spent part of 2009 abroad in England.
Tyrna and Collins are both goalkeepers and add depth behind starter Warren Gross and reserve Brendan Birmingham, who has yet to allow a goal this spring in four full games. Collins redshirted the 2009 season for Villanova and will have four years of eligibility, as the NCAA does require soccer transfers to sit out a year.
The Lions conclude their season at 12 p.m. Saturday when they host West Virginia at the Jeffrey Field traning facility.
Despite having the chance to knock off the CAA's only undefeated team, attackman Billy Gribbin is excited about the Lions trip to Towson this Saturday for another reason.
The chance to play at home.
"I'm just excited to go back home because I'm from Maryland so this is gonna be like a homecoming for me," the freshman said. "I'm just looking forward to playing in Maryland again."
The Rockville, Md., native attended high school lacrosse powerhouse, Georgetown Prepatory School and led the Hoyas to two conference titles in 2006 and 2009.
Playing at Georgetown Prep, Gribbin was just over an hour away from the Towson campus is whole career.
And with such a short trip from home to the Tigers' Johnny Unitas Stadium, Gribbin anticipates plenty of family making the trek to Saturday's game.
"I've played at Towson a bunch when I was growing up," he said. "So I'm just excited to get back home and play."
Starting next year, there will be a few things different about the NCAA Tournament.
It's not quite 96 teams, but starting in 2011, the field will expand from 65 to 68 teams. While the field is up to 68 for now, it isn't set in stone and a jump up to the discussed 80 or 96 teams is still a possibility.
Additionally, for the first time the tournament's 73 year-old history, every game will be broadcast live. The NCAA reached a new 14-year deal with CBS and Turner Broadcasting on Thursday that allows every game to be aired.
The first and second round games will be broadcast between CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV. CBS and TBS will split coverage of the regional
semifinals, popularly called the Sweet Sixteen. The Elite Eight regional finals along with the Final Four and National Championship game will still be broadcast exclusively by CBS through 2015.
Starting in 2016, TBS and CBS will alternate the Final Four and championship until the contract ends in 2014.
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Penn State senior co-captain Max Lipsitz has been tabbed the 2010 EIVA Player of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday night.
The middle hitter, who currently leads the nation in hitting percentage, is the 11th Nittany Lion to earn the distinction. He has been named first team All-EIVA each of his four years at Penn State. Joining him on the 2010 first team are opposite hitter Will Price, setter Edgardo Goas and libero Dennis Del Valle -- all 2009 honorees.
Redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder was named second team All-EIVA while first-year starter Ryan Wolf, a walk-on from York, was the Lions' lone representative on the EIVA All-Academic team.
Check the Collegian and Above the Net for further updates.
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Check out today's Collegian for a full article about slide tackling in men's and women's soccer.
Here's some more cool content that didn't make the article:
When Ali Schaefer is going after an attacking player and she doesn't know if she will get to the ball in time, the midfielder will go into a slide tackle.
"When you're really certain that the player is about to play the ball and you know that you can't get into the right defending position, sometimes you just gotta slide," Schaefer said. "There's a technique to it -- there's a dirty way to slide and a way that's going to win you the ball, but safely."
Though the slide tackle is a dynamic and exciting play, it can also easily result in a foul and a free kick for the opposition if executed poorly. For defensive players on the Penn State men's and women's soccer teams, it's a matter of hitting the right target.
A slide tackle is a finesse move and depends on the smallest bit of space. If the tackler is just an inch or two off, they could crash into the attacker and get whistled for a foul.
"Obviously you have to go for the ball. You do as much as possible to go for the ball and if you hit the ball first, that's your objective," men's soccer defender Andres Casais said. "If you hit the guy, it wasn't your intention to hit him, you want to hit the ball first and make a good tackle. That's what the refs are looking for, if you hit the ball first."
Despite being an effective tool to win balls, there are areas on the field where slide tackling should be avoided. Emma Thomson, a defender on the women's soccer, said defenders should try to avoid sliding in the penalty box to avoid yielding a free kick.
For Patrick Krispin, an outside back on the men's soccer team, the further up the field he is on attack, a slide tackle becomes less likely.
"If we're far away from our goal, it's really not necessary," Krispin said. "But if it's down in our corner and somebody is running full speed and about to put a cross in then sometimes it's a necessary thing."
While the point of a slide tackle is to get the ball off the lead foot of the attacker, the defender will also try to direct the ball out to their teammates. Women's soccer defender Emma Thomson said she tries to get the ball into the middle of the field for her teammates to play it forward.
As an outside player, Krispin has the luxury of playing with the touchline and said he prefers to just knock the ball out of bounds.
"When they're closer to the sideline it's better to get it out," Krispin said. "You can just pop right back up and be ready, set yourself up."
Schaefer said her focus is just to break up the play but she said unconsciously she uses the rest of her body to disrupt the passing lanes the attacker could try and use. As a midfielder, Schaefer can be more aggressive with her tackles because she has her defenders behind her.
One thing a tackler tries to avoid is missing on a slide tackle, which takes them out of the remainder of a play.
"You really gotta weigh your options, what are the odds I'm going to win this tackle," Schaefer said. "I can say there's times where I've gone in extra hard on a tackle to send a message but for the most part it's just clean and the technicalities of the game, 'Am I going to win this ball with this skill?' "
Ali Schaefer describes different ways to disrupt the ball on a tackle.
It'll be Eramo, Glantz and Picconi to start off the ninth for the Lions.
Eramo falls behind in the count, 0-2, but then works it to a full count. He has now fouled off two 3-2 pitches. Here comes another one...
And Eramo skies it just onto the outfield grass in center, but the second baseman has plenty of time to camp underneath it for the out.
Glantz chops one to the left side and it's just out of the reach of the third baseman, who cut in front of the shortstop to try and make the play, throwing him off, as well. Nobody can make the play and Glantz is safe at first with a one-out, infield single.
Steve Snyder comes into the game now as a pinch runner for Glantz.
Searer grounds into a game-ending double play and the Lions lose, 2-1.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 1
Top 9
Two quick groundouts to start the ninth, as Lutz tries to keep Penn State within a run.
Flynn keeps the inning alive for the Mount with a single through the right side.
But Foster grounds a ball to DeBernardis at first just one pitch later, and DeBernardis makes the play unassisted to end the inning.
0 runs, 1 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 1
Bottom 8
Matta moves from left field to pitcher now for MSM, and he pitches an extremely quick inning, sitting the Lions down 1-2-3.
Heath struck out swinging, Steranka grounded out and then Jacobs flied out to end the inning.
Penn State will have its 7-8-9 hitters to start off the bottom of the ninth inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 1
Top 8
Walter comes back out for the eighth, but just like Grumley in the seventh, he only lasts one batter.
After issuing a walk to MSM's leadoff man, Walter comes out of the game as senior David Lutz enters from the bullpen.
Lutz comes into the game and strikes out the first two batter he faces, getting Darr and Kane to both go down swinging.
Now Eyler comes up and lines it into center, but Deegan is there waiting for it to end the inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 1
Bottom 7
Penn State will have its No. 8 and No. 9 hitters up to start the inning before getting back to the top of the order.
Glantz hammers one back through the box for a single into center field to start things off for Penn State.
But Picconi strikes out on three straight pitches for the first out.
With Searer now at the plate, Glantz swipes second base, giving Penn State a runner in scoring position with one out.
Searer chops one toward the middle, but Jacob Darr comes over from shortstop to make the play and throw Searer out at first. Glantz moves up to third on the play, but there are now two outs for the Lions.
Deegan grounds one to short, and despite Darr coming in on the ball, he has to rush a throw to first with Deegan's speed and he makes an error.
The throw was in the dirt, allowing Deegan to reach safely and Glantz to score, cutting the Mount St. Mary's lead to 2-1.
And now Deegan uses that speed to steal second. And now he steals third.
Yet another grounder to Darr at short, and this time he fields it and makes the throw on the run to record the final out of the inning.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 1
Top 7
Grumley still in the game to start the seventh.
But he doesn't last long, as he hits the first batter, and pitching coach Jason Bell comes out to the mound to make a pitching change.
Freshman John Walter will take over for Grumley, who goes 6+ innings, giving up two runs, one earned, off seven hits. He is also responsible for the runner on first right now, though.
Tommy Flynn will come up as a pinch hitter for the Mount, and he drops down a sacrifice bunt to move pinch runner Tom Healy to second with one out.
Michael Foster then lifts one to center field, and it carries just long enough for Deegan to track it down for out No. 2.
Hard hit ground ball up the middle, but Glantz gets in front of it to make the stop and throws Matta out to end the inning.
Walter comes in and retires three-straight batters to get out of the inning and prevent Grumley's runner from scoring.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 0
Bottom 6
Joey DeBernardis walks to kick off the bottom half of the sixth inning.
The Mount's third baseman makes a nifty diving play to field the ball and then throws out Ben Heath for the first.
Steranka gets good contact but can't get enough on the ball as he flies out to left.
DeBo gets his first career stolen base as he goes from second to third without a throw from the catcher. He is now 1-for-1 in his career. Jacobs draws a walk on the next pitch.
Odd play by the Mount as Jacobs gets caught in a run down in between first and second. The Mount's first baseman had an opportunity to make the play but was distracted by DeBo on third and allows both runners to remain on the corners.
Eramo ends up striking out on the next play to end the inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 0
Top 6
Grumley gives up a leadoff triple to the Mount's Jacob Darr.
The Mount tacks on another run with a single up the middle.
The following batter hits a lazy pop up that stays in the infield for out No. 1.
Grumley induces the same exact pop up to first base for the second out of the inning.
The runner on first tries to steal second but gets gunned down by the catcher Jacobs.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Mount St. Mary's 2, Penn State 0
Bottom 5
Picconi strikes out swinging as his struggles continue.
Elliot Searer strikes out as well for the second out.
The Mount's pitcher strikes out the side for another one-two-three inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Mount St. Mary's 1, Penn State 0
Top 5
Grumley continues his successful night as gets the first batter to fly out.
I appear to have jinxed the Penn State pitcher, who hits the following batter.
On an 0-2 pitch, Grumley gives up a single to put runners on the corners and then throws the ball past the first baseman trying to get the pick-off. On the error, the lead runner scores and the man on first heads to third.
The next batter strikes swinging as Jacobs throws him out after dropping the ball.
Grumley escapes the jam and gets the following hitter to fly out to right. However, Mount St. Mary puts a run on the board for the lead.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Mount St. Mary's 1, Penn State 0
Bottom 4
Jacobs and Eramo both fly out to the center fielder for two quick outs to lead off the bottom half of the inning.
Glantz's at-bat completes the one-two-three inning as the shortstop flies out to right field.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 0, MSM 0
Top 4
Eramo flags down a drifting fly ball for the first out of the fourth inning.
Mount St. Mary's Kyle Kane hits a ground ball that sneaks past a diving Picconi for a hit.
Picconi makes a nice snag on the next ball and tries to turn two but the batter is able to beat the second throw.
After the baserunner steals second base, Herring strikes out the next batter to end the inning.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 0, MSM 0
Bottom 3
Colin Stuver is now pitching for MSM. He is a submarine lefty. Penn State has two right-handed batters up to start this half of the inning.
Stuver strikes Picconi out looking. He caught the outside corner with a backdoor curve.
Searer reaches on an infield single. The 2B dove to his right but couldn't field the ball cleanly.
Searer advances to second base on a wild pitch.
Deegan singles on a soft liner to SS.
DeBernardis flies out to center and the runners can't advance.
Kane can't handle a pitch, so Searer and Deegan each move up a base.
Heath is intentionally walked to load the bases for Steranka.
Steranka hits a liner right at the first baseman for the third out.
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 3 LOB
Penn State 0, MSM 0
***
Top 3
Foster flies out to right field for the first out.
Matta flies out to center.
Grumley walks Helman, but he picks him off at first. It was a good move by the southpaw.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 0, MSM 0
***
Bottom 2
Heath doubles on a line drive down the left field line.
Steranka grounds out to the pitcher, but Heath advances to third base.
Jacobs fails to get an RBI as he grounds out to 3B.
Eramo works a walk on four pitches.
Glantz strikes out swinging to end the inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
Penn State 0, MSM 0
***
Top 2
Eyler strikes out looking at a curve that caught the outside corner.
Winter drills a grounder that Grumley gets a foot on, but he can't make the play to first. It's ruled a single for Winter.
Caron grounds out on a fielder's choice to second base. He stands on first.
Caron stole second. Nott singled to left field, but Elliot Searer had a perfect throw home to easily get Caron at the plate.
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, MSM 0
***
Bottom 1
There's a delay with the count 2-2 to Searer. The umpire got hit in the hand and is wandering down the right field arm-in-arm with the field umpire.
Twenty minutes later...the other umpire runs out alone.
Searer looks at ball three and then walks.
Deegan grounds into a 6-3 double play. The SS stepped on 2nd and threw to first.
DeBernardis flies out to left field.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB, 1 Umpire Out of the Game Due to Injury
Penn State 0, MSM 0
***
Top 1
Grumley's first pitch is a ball, but the second is a pop up caught by Picconi for an out.
Helman singled on a blooper to right field. It landed in front of a diving Eramo.
Darr walks and the Mount have runners on 1st and 2nd.
Kane grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the top half of the inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, MSM 0
***
The Nittany Lions are going with Sean Deegan in center tonight, while Steve Snyder gets a rest. Eramo is in right, and Searer is in left. Bobby Jacobs is getting a start behind the plate while Ben Heath is DHing.
On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down a six-game suspension to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. A 20-year-old college student said the two-time Super Bowl winner raped her in Georgia last month, but no chargers were filed against Roethlisberger.
It is the second time since July 2009 Roethlisberger has been in the news following allegations of rape.
In addition to the six-game suspension, which could be dropped to four games or increased to an undetermined amount of time, Roethlisberger will have to undergo a comprehensive behavioral observation before he can participate in training camp and the preseason.
We want to know our readers' opinions on the Roethlisberger suspension. Was it too harsh, just right or not enough? Let us know how many games you think he should have been suspended by participating in our online poll below.
Dennis Del Valle is the best libero in school history. Just watch him
play. Or better yet, just look at the Stat Book.
Del Valle and Ricky Mattei both had promising freshman seasons that led to great careers. Mattei was named the EIVA tournament most valuable player his freshman season in 2001 and Del Valle was named EIVA newcomer of the year in 2008. Both players also have second team All-American honors to their name.
Ricky Mattei
2001: 202 digs (1.92 digs per set)
2002: 181 digs (2.01).
2003: 277 digs (2.56).
2004: 249 digs (2.33).
TOTAL: 909 digs.
Dennis Del Valle
2008: 264 (2.64 digs per set).
2009: 310 (3.07)
2010: 341+ (3.52)
2011: ???
TOTAL: 915+
photos courtesy of
Penn State athletics
If you didn't notice, Del Valle has broken Mattei's record before finishing his third season. If you factor in Del Valle's season average, he will likely finish this season with around 945 digs. Give or take 20 or so depending on how far Penn State advances in its postseason tournaments. Even if his numbers don't improve next season and he records in the 370 range again, he will finish his career with around 1,315 digs. Coach Mark Pavlik said Del Valle might put the record out of reach, and I find it hard not to believe him.
Comments
Senior captain Margo Josephs earned the SAAB Award (Student-Athletes Above and Beyond) at last night's 23rd SAAB Annual Academic Achievement Awards Banquet.
SAAB is the Student Athlete Advisory Board, an organization of student-athletes. Once a year, they honor each other's off-field endeavors.
Josephs -- who was unable to return this season from an ALC tear suffered last year -- wasn't the only lacrosse player to go home with hardware: The entire team won an award as the team that earned the highest amount of money for THON. This is the team's second consecutive year with the award.
Senior attacker Erica Mihm and freshman attacker Hayley Sofarnos (13) have been awarded ALC Offensive Player of the Week and ALC Rookie of the Week honors, respectively.
Mihm's award is the second for the Lions this season and the first of her career. The Annapolis, Md., native was critical in Penn State's win as she won a game-high eight draw controls. The Lions went on to score on six of them. Mihm also scored a hat trick.
One of Mihm's goals came courtesy of Sofarnos, who had a team-high five assists -- the most in a single game all season for Penn State. The Williamstown, Australia native is second on the team with 12 assists. She also scored a goal in the game.
Following its come-back win over Ohio State on Sunday, Penn State has moved up a spot to No. 17 in the latest IWLCA rankings.
The Buckeyes moved up to No. 18, and ALC-rival Vanderbilt moved up a spot to No. 8. Following their first loss in nearly two years, the Northwestern Wildcats are in a strange spot as they find themselves No. 2 overall. North Carolina is the new No. 1.
Days removed from a tough loss to No. 18 Illinois, Penn State is confronted with its biggest challenge yet: No. 2 Michigan.
The Nittany Lions head to Ann Arbor to visit Michigan for a Wednesday doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.
The Wolverines won the national championship in 2005 and are the only team east of the Mississippi River to win the title. Michigan has won 25 of its past 26 games and is holding opponents to a .172 batting average.
Penn State (26-14, 5-5 Big Ten) beat Michigan in the Wolverines' national championship year, but have lost the last five meetings. Still, though the Lions got blown out by a combined 20-4 in two games last season, they did win four of five against the Wolverines from 2005-07.
The key matchup figures to be the Michigan bats against Penn State's pitching. The Wolverines (33-5, 9-0) rank first in the Big Ten in home runs (54) and second in hitting (.316) while the Lions are third in the conference in ERA with 2.11. Michigan ranks first in the league in pitching.
Hitting Batting Average: Michigan, .316 to .268 Extra-Base Hits: Michigan, 110 to 73 Home Runs: Michigan, 54-22 Stolen Bases: Penn State, 37-for-43 to 31-for-40
Pitching ERA: Michigan, 1.46 to 2.11 Strikeouts: Michigan, 334 to 296 Walks: Michigan, 57 to 91
After a leadoff double down the line in left by Lefever, Duquesne pinch-hitter Tyler Bowen flies out to right-center, moving Lefever to third.
Another pinch-hitter, Mike Ganley, steps in for Duquesne, but he goes down looking for out No. 2.
Bowser gets hit by a pitch then moves to second on fielder's indifference. Runners on second and third with two outs for Boyd.
Ground ball to Glantz, who fields and fires across the diamond to Greenberg at first to end the game. Penn State wins a slugfest, 15-9.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Final
Penn State 15, Duquesne 9
***
Bottom 8
Deegan leads off the eighth for Penn State, but, for the first time tonight, doesn't reach base as he flies out to left field.
Penn State has its first base-runner of the inning, though, as Debernardis singles through the left side.
Heath hits a fly ball directly at the center fielder for the inning's second out.
Ground ball to the right side gets by the first baseman and into right field. The error keeps the inning alive, as Penn State now as runners on the corners with two outs.
Jack Greenberg steps up to pinch-hit for Eramo, and hits one hard to center field, but Boyd is there to make the catch for out No. 3.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB
Penn State 15, Duquesne 9
***
Top 8
Johnson returns to the mound to start the eighth for the Lions and retires his fourth-straight batter by striking out Duquesne's No. 8 hitter to start the inning.
Boyd ends Johnson's run of retired batters with a triple over Deegan's head out in left field, and the Dukes have a runner at third with only one out.
And now a walk gives Duquesne runners on the corners.
Johnson gets Heck to lift a fly ball to shallow center, where Snyder makes the catch for out No. 2. The fly out wasn't deep enough to score the runner, so the Dukes still have runners on the corners with two outs.
But now a wild pitch allows the runner to score from third, cutting the lead to six, 15-9.
Another walk and Duquesne again has two on with two outs.
Duquesne's cleanup hitter, Tracy, works the count full before flying one to shallow right field, where Searer makes the catch on the run.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Penn State 15, Duquesne 9
***
Bottom 7
Duquesne's pitcher is now working quick, too, as he strikes out Glantz and then gets Picconi to ground out to the shortstop for two quick outs.
Steve Snyder then works a walk to give Penn State a two-out base runner, but it goes for naught, as Searer pops up to the right side of the infield to end the seventh.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 15, Duquesne 8
***
Top 7
Outfielder-turned-pitcher Heath Johnson takes the mound to start the seventh for Penn State.
He shows off the 90 mph fastball a few times before striking out Lefever on an off-speed pitch for the first out.
Johnson then gets the next two batters to ground out quickly, ending the inning. Johnson sits the Dukes down 1-2-3 and we go to the bottom of the seventh.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 15, Duquesne 8
***
Bottom 6
Eramo draws the walk to leadoff the inning.
Glantz gets a single to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Picconi with a chance to move both runners into scoring position pops the bunt up right to the catcher.
Another walk as Snyder loads the bases for the top of the lineup.
Searer comes up with the big hit to bring in two runs and give the Lions a bigger cushion as he advances to second on the throw.
With a runner on second and third, Deegan shows off his speed with an RBI triple over the left fielders head. Deegan has now reached by five times tonight with two walks, a home run, a triple and an error.
Deegan out at home on a fielders choice by DeBernardis, who advances to second base with two outs.
The runs keep coming as Heath brings in DeBernardis with an RBI single. Penn State now leads 15-8.
Steranka gets a hit and then reaches second on an error.
The inning finally ends after Eramo flies out to left field.
5 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Penn State 15, Duquesne 8
Top 6
After two straight 1-2-3 innings, Herring gives up a walk to start the sixth.
The next Duquesne hitter hits the ball into the nook for an RBI triple.
Duquesne's Tracy walks on four pitches.
Herring's day is over after he gives up an RBI single. Alfreno comes in from the bullpen to relieve the freshman with a runner on second and third who each advanced a base on the throw.
Duquesne picks up another run off an RBI sacrifice fly that moves each runner up a base.
Penn State with the opportunity to get out of the inning on a double play but DeBernardis is uable to handle the throw as yet another run crosses home plate.
And just like that, Penn State's nine run lead has been cut down to only two after Duquesne gets another RBI double.
Mike Pierce comes in to relieve Alfreno and get Penn State out of this nightmare of an inning.
Pierce hits his first batter but then gets the next guy to fly out to end the inning.
7 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Penn State 10, Duquesne 8
Bottom 5
Penn State continues its hot hitting as Picconi smacks a single to leadoff the bottom half of the fifth.
Picconi moves to second on a wild pitch but gets thrown out on a fielders choice by Snyder, who makes it to first.
Searer keeps his hitting streak alive with a single. That now gives Searer a 16-game hitting streak.
Deegan clears the bases with a three-run home run to give Penn State the commanding 10-1 lead.
DeBernardis joins the hit parade with a double in between the center and right fielder.
Ben Heath pops out in foul territory to the catcher for the second out.
Inning over after Steranka grounds out to the pitcher. However, Penn State's bats stay hot as the Lions pick up three more runs off of Deegan's shot.
3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 10, Duquesne 1
Top 5
Duquesne's first batter of the fifth flies out to the right fielder, who makes a sliding catch.
Herring appears to be settling down nicely as he gets the next hitter to fly out to the center fielder.
Herring with the quick 1-2-3 inning as he gets the next batter to ground out to third base.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 7, Duquesne 1
Bottom 4
New pitcher Brent Roehrich into the game for the Dukes to replace starter Jim Devine.
Steve Snyder flies out to the center fielder for out No. 1.
Elliot Searer hits a slow grounder to the shortstop, who makes the play for the second out.
Sean Deegan smokes a ball right to the second baseman, who had the ball in his glove before it bounced out for an error. Deegan continues to be perfect on the base paths as he gets his twentieth steal in twenty attempts.
A hit-and-run with DeBernardis at the plate brings in the fourth run for the Lions. Deegan took off for third base and rounded the base to head home as DeBo is safe on an infield single that skips past the first baseman.
Ben Heath hit by pitch in the first pitch.
Steranka rips a single into right field to bring home the lead runner and increase Penn State's lead to four runs.
Eramo comes to the plate and hits a bases clearing double to give PSU the 7-1 advantage.
Glantz grounds out to the third baseman to end the inning but the Lions are able to strike and put four more runs on the board.
4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Penn State 7, Duquesne 1
Top 4
Herring gets a quick first out here in the fourth as Duquesne's batter attempts a bunt that goes right back to the pitcher.
After a single up the middle, Duquesne's Lombardo grounds into an inning ending double play to complete the real quick inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 3, Duquesne 1
Bottom 3
Heath walks on five pitches to start the bottom of the third.
A wild pitch allows Heath to advance to second.
Steranka hits a sharp one hopper that the 2B fields and throws to first for the out. Heath moved up to third on the play.
Eramo is up with a chance at an RBI. Eramo singles through the left side to plate Heath and add to the Lions' lead.
Glantz can't check his swing and strikes out. Two outs.
Devine balks and Eramo moves up to second base. Picconi strikes out swinging.
1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 3, Duquesne 1
***
Top 3
Carson steps in to lead off the third. He grounds out to SS for the first out.
Heck scares the heck out of Herring with a liner for a single right up the middle.
With Devereaux batting, Heck begins to take off before Herring pitches. He scampers back without a throw. Devereaux flies out to left field.
Tracy strikes out swinging.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 2, Duquesne
***
Bottom 2
Steranka singled to right field to lead off the inning.
The Duquesne catcher blocks a ball, but it rolled away enough to allow Steranka to advance to second base.
Eramo walks, so the Lions have men on 1st and 2nd with no outs.
Glantz walks to load the bases.
Picconi strikes out swinging for the first out.
Snyder works a walk to bring home the tying run here in the second.
Searer grounds into a force out. Snyder is out at second, but Eramo scored to give the Lions a 2-1 lead.
Deegan walks to load the bases again. DeBernardis walks to the plate with two outs.
DeBernardis looks at two called strikes on the outside corner and then strikes out swinging on the next pitch.
2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 3 LOB
Penn State 2, Duquesne 1
***
Top 2
Lefever reaches on a throwing error by 3B Jordan Steranka.
DeFabio walks to put men on 1st and 2nd.
Lombardo advances the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Picconi made a nice play to field the throw at first.
Bowser grounds out for the second out, but Lefever scored on the play.
Jackson grounds out to SS to end the inning.
1 Run, 0 Hits, 1 Error, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Duquesne 0
***
Bottom 1
Searer is leading off for the Nittany Lions today. Searer grounds out on a slow roller to 2B. One out.
Deegan works a walk.
Devine is keeping Deegan honest at first base. Deegan advances to second on a wild pitch and goes to third when the throw bounces into center field.
DeBernardis strikes out swinging.
Heath grounds out to 2B to end the inning.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Duquesne 0
***
Top 1
Hearing jumps ahead in count, 0-2. Carson flies out to center for the first out.
Heck is putting together a pesky at-bat. The count is full and he lines a single to left field.
Devereaux is hit by a pitch.
Tracy grounds into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
In this week's edition we talked with attackman Matt Mackrides. Scoring four times against Hofstra last Saturday, the sophomore upped his season totals to a team-leading 31 goals and 36 points. He'll be looking to add more to those numbers this Saturday when the Lions head to Towson for an important match up against the No. 14 Tigers.
Crosse Check) What comes to mind when I say the name Dave Baker?
Matt Mackrides) Probably the nicest kid on the team, really smart and has become a pretty good goalie. Those would probably be the the three descriptions I'd give of him.
CC) We've only got a couple more weeks of school left, so do you have any plans for the summer?
MM) I actually don't know what I'm gonna do this summer. I might go to Canada to play box lacrosse, and if that falls through, which it probably will, I'll stay around my home and coach for PYLA which is the Philadelphia Youth Lacrosse Association, and I'll probably coach little kids. And then just hang out at the beach all summer.
CC) How'd the box lacrosse opportunity come up?
MM) My brother played with a kid from British Columbia in college, and when I went up there with the U.S. team, we stayed at their house for a little bit. I talked to his dad about maybe playing some box two summers ago, just because it'd be something new and it'd be interesting. And again about a month ago, I was talking to my dad, and he said he was talking to that guy, and it came up again, so I'm trying to figure that out.
CC) Do you have a favorite sport other than lacrosse?
MM) I like basketball.
CC) You following anybody in the playoffs?
MM) I don't know, the Cavaliers. I'd like to see the the Cavs and the Lakers play.
CC) What's your favorite class you're taking this semester?
MM) That's a tough one. I really don't like my classes this semester. But, Business Law maybe?
CC) If they're all so bad, why'd you pick that one?
MM) Because a lot of the other ones are all math courses and I hate math.
CC) Yeah, me too. What's your favorite place to eat on- or off-campus?
MM) Our team has started an obsession with Maki Yaki so I like that place.
CC) Maki Yaki?
MM) It's a Japanese place. It's pretty good.
CC) Last question, when you first stated playing lacrosse, how did you get on attack?
MM) Both my brothers played attack, and I guess right from the beginning they put a stick in my hands and said you're gonna be an offensive player.
After 15 games in 45 days, the Penn State men's volleyball team finally has a break.
In this week's Pavcast, Nittany Lion coach Mark Pavlik discusses why this week off -- before Penn State's April 29 EIVA semifinal game -- is important to his team. Then, he looks back at the regular season, including comments on libero Dennis Del Valle recently becoming the program's all-time leader in digs and reflections on the best moments of the past four months.
Senior captain Theresa Bucci enjoyed the trip to Columbus more than many of her teammates. The Hudson, Ohio native was able to see her family and said it's always a cool thing for her to play in her home state.
But the homecoming isn't as big as one might expect, she said, because her hometown is closer to Cleveland rather than Columbus anyway.
This week we get to know junior defender Ashley Boccio. The Long Island native has 11 ground balls on the year and provided vital leadership to the defense.
1. Favorite TV show?
Life on Discovery
2. Favorite pro sports team?
New York Yankees
3. Favorite moment in sports history?
Freshman year of high school; we made it to states.
4. Childhood hero?
My dad. He always pulled me through every situation.
5. Favorite band?
Rascal Flatts, Lil Wayne
6. Best memory from PSU lacrosse?
Probably last year when we played Ohio State because we were the underdog, and I had a
tough match up.
7. Favorite place to eat in State College?
Panera
8. Isidor in one sentence?
Very accommodating; she really knows who we are as people and allows us to play the way we do on the field.
Following his three goal, one assist performance against Hofstra on Saturday, freshman attackman Nick Dolik was named Colonial Athletic Association Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week.
Dolik put in the game-winning goal just 50 seconds into the first overtime period to give the Lions the upset of then-No. 11 Hofstra. The freshman's one assist was also timely. Dolik fed fellow freshman Billy Gribbin with 2:34 left in the game to tie the game at 10-10 heading into overtime.
Having scored 16 goals and dishing out six assists this season, Dolik's totals stand third on the team. These are the first CAA honors of his career, and his Player of the Week award is Penn State's first in the CAA.
As we've seen before many times this season, anything is possible in this conference. This past weekend was no exception. Along with Penn State's overtime upset of Hofstra, the other two conference match ups this weekend also had unexpected finishes. The last two weekends of the season just got a whole lot more interesting with those top-four spots for the conference tournament available for the taking.
Towson 8 - Drexel 7
Led by Christian Pastirik's career-high five assists, the Tigers improved their conference record to 3-0 and remain the only team undefeated in league play. Towson (5-5, 3-0 CAA) received goals from goals from six different players on Saturday to shock the No. 7 Dragons. Will Harrington and Michael Brashears both found the back of the net twice to lead all scorers. Travis Love stopped seven shots for the Tigers, including four in a third quarter in which Drexel unleashed eight shots.
Despite opening up the first quarter with three goals, the Dragons (9-3, 2-1 CAA) struggled with extra-man opportunities the whole game, going 0-for-5. Drexel won the groundball game, 34-26, and received 14 saves from goalie Mark Manos but failed to capitalize on too many opportunities.
Delaware 9 - UMass 6
Curtis Dickson recorded a hat-trick and goalie Noah Fossner stopped nine shots en-route to the Blue Hens' upset of No. 12 UMass. Delaware (6-6, 1-2 CAA) started the game with a three-goal first quarter and never looked back from there. Dominating the ground ball game 40-31, the Blue Hens made the most of their possessions the whole 60 minutes.
Freshman attackman Will Manny had four points off of three goals and an assist for the Minutemen (7-4, 2-2 CAA), but the offense wasn't clicking. Just four players scored on Saturday for a high-powered UMass offense. In goal, Tim McCormack turned away eight shots but failed to make any saves in the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions put together probably their best all-around game of the season against the Pride on Saturday night. They fought hard the whole game and getting the win put themselves in position to make the CAA tournament. Let's take a look at some key statistical figures from the game.
50...seconds into overtime it took for Nick Dolik to score the game-winning goal for the Lions, his third of the game.
1...extra-man goals scored by Hofstra on six man-up opportunities.
6...straight unanswered goals by Hofstra from the 0:47 mark of the first quarter, to the 2:39 mark of the second quarter to build a 7-2 lead. The Lions answered with five straight goals to tie the game at 7-7 with 3:15 to play in the third quarter.
4...goals scored by Matt Mackrides. It's his fifth game of the year with four or more goals and brings his season total up to a team-leading 31.
8...groundballs scooped up by Joe Britt, a game-high.
13...faceoffs won by Britt in 17 opportunities, leading the Lions to a commanding 15-of-25 total.
2...points scored by Hofstra's attackmen Jamie Lincoln and Jay Card. The two talented Canadians stand first and third, respectively, in the CAA for points per game with 4.80 and 4.56.
13...shots taken by Hofstra in the third quarter in which it scored just once.
9...more groundballs won by the Lions.
2...more CAA games left for the Lions to get themselves into the conference tournament. First up is Towson, the only team still unbeaten in conference play.
It Was Over When...: The Nittany Lions began to pull away in the second set. George Mason, fueled by a rowdy crowd of 1,122 who filled the newly-renovated RAC, came out firing, out-hitting Penn State .419-.222 in winning the first set. But once the No. 12 Lions matched that intensity, the Patriots just couldn't keep up.
Player of the Match: Will Price. The senior co-captain, a transfer from George Mason, put on a clinic for his former team. The All-American opposite hitter had perhaps his best performance of the season -- recording a match-high 29 kills on .362 hitting while picking up 11 digs.
Stat of the Match: Price's entire stat line. His numbers were nothing less than impressive and his performance was the key to Penn State's victory.
Surprise of the Match: Joe Sunder struggled. The redshirt sophomore was just starting to get hot -- stringing together four solid performances on the Lions' last two road trips -- but on Saturday night, something was just off. Sunder couldn't find any offensive rhythm, posting just five kills on -0.65 hitting.
What's Next: The Lions, who earned a bye in the quarterfinals, will host the semifinals of the EIVA tournament at Rec Hall April 29. They will play the winner of Springfield (who last night captured the Molten's Division III Men's Championship) and St. Francis.
The rundown: The No. 12 Nittany Lions travel to Fairfax, Va. for their last regular season contest -- a matchup with EIVA foe George Mason.
Road weary: Tonight marks the finale of Penn State's six-match road trip. But the Lions haven't fared as well as they would have liked. They dropped the first match to unranked Rutgers-Newark of the EIVA Hay Division, struggled to put together two wins against IPFW and Ball State in Indiana and then went 0-2 in last weekend's West Coast swing.
Big hitters: As the season comes to a close, it looks like senior Max Lipsitz is going to come away with the national hitting title. He currently leads the country with a .521 clip. Penn State, meanwhile, ranks first in the EIVA and fourth nationally with a .327 hitting percentage.
Penn State vs. George Mason: The two teams have met 98 times, making George Mason the Lions' second most common opponent, only behind Rutgers-Newark. But the series hasn't exactly been a rivalry -- Penn State holds an 84-14 all-time record against the Patriots, including a 3-0 sweep earlier this season. George Mason's last win against the Lions was on March 7, 2008, the year Penn State went on to win the national championship.
Check it: The Patriots were swept by the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders earlier this month. Here are the highlights. (And once again, dubious music choice by the Rutgers-Newark athletic department.)
Storyline to follow: How does Penn State look in its final tune-up before the EIVA tournament? The Lions have struggled of late, and could really use some momentum heading into the post season -- or else they'll be in danger of missing the NCAA's for the first time in 11 years.
Prediction: Penn State 3, George Mason 0. I don't think it will be a pretty game -- in fact, it will probably be a little sloppy -- but the Lions should get it done and head into this month's EIVA tournament with at least a win.
Along with Jason Yeisley of the men's soccer team, Griffith won the award given for athletic and academic excellence.
Academically, Griffith has twice been named an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and in 2009 received a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award.
On the field, Griffith is hitting .308 for the season and leads the team with nine stolen bases while ranking second with 29 runs. Griffith has started in all 38 games this season and has 156 career hits. Last season she was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team.
With just three games remaining and a zero in the conference win column, Penn State will most likely have to win out to give itself the best chance of making top-four and a spot in the conference tournament. It won't be easy but as we've seen before, anything is possible in the CAA. First up in the road to the playoffs is No. 11 Hofstra, who the Lions will take on at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, on Jeffrey Field.
Previously against Penn State:
Penn State's on the losing end of the overall series, with the Pride leading 4-9. The two teams last met in 1990. Hofstra put on an offensive clinic in that game, defeating the Lions in a 17-6 rout.
What they've done so far:
Hofstra is 7-3 overall with big wins over Brown and Johns Hopkins earlier in the year, but has struggled so far in the CAA with a record of just 1-2 in conference play. Against both Umass and Drexel, the Pride lost by just two goals and scored at least nine goals in both. Here's some highlights from a 14-6 win over Sacred Heart:
Offense:
Led by a pair of talented Canadian attackmen, the Hofstra offense is one of the most dangerous in the country. Juniors Jay Card and Jamie Lincoln are both from Ontario and have a history with box lacrosse. They have a skill set that many American born players are not used to seeing. Card and Lincoln have very quick hands, pin point accuracy and are very effective one-on-one. Lincoln leads the team with 48 points off of 29 goals and 19 assists. Card ties Lincoln in assists, and has scored 22 times as well. From the midfield, junior Stephen Bentz has also contributed 22 goals on the year. Take a look at a nasty fake and drive to the goal from Lincoln's days playing box lacrosse.
Defense:
Leading Hofstra defensively is senior Christian Scuderi. The 2009 Honorable Mention All American and First-Team All CAA pick is third on the team with 27 groundballs. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Scuderi provides a strong physical presence. Joining him are junior Mike Skudin and freshman Cody Solaja who have combined for 24 groundballs on the year.
Goaltending:
The Pride have tested out a few goalies over the course of the season, but true freshman Robert Bellairs has settled in and won the starting job. In seven starts, Bellairs is boasting the CAA's second best goals against average, giving 8.77 goals a game. However, he also has the conference's worst save percentage at just 40.2 percent.
Keys to the game:
-Shots: Hofstra has the best shooting percentage in the conference, with 137 goals on 380 shots. Their attackmen are deadly accurate. The Lions on the other hand are at the bottom of the CAA in the same category, finding the back of the net on just 23.7 percent of their shots. Penn State will need to be smart with its shot selection to stay in the game.
-Faceoffs: These two teams are evenly matched overall in the faceoff circle, the Lions winning 56.3 and the Pride 55.2 percent. But the interesting thing here is that Hofstra has primarily only one faceoff man, freshman John Antoniades. If the Lions' three-headed faceoff group of Joe Britt, and Charley and Danny Henneghan can keep Antoniades guessing with its different styles, they'll have the edge.
Elsewhere in the NCAA:
-Game of the week: No. 5 Duke at No. 1 Virginia, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. - Sophomore Chris Bocklet and Virginia knocked off then No. 2 North Carolina at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic last Saturday to become the only unbeaten team left in the country. At 0-2 in the conference, senior Max Quinzani and the Duke Blue Devils sit at the bottom of the ACC and will be looking for the upset.
-Player to watch: Christian Pastirik, Attack, Towson - Pastirik and the Tigers will take on No. 7 Drexel for the top spot in the CAA. Though just 4-5 on the year, Towson is 2-0 in the CAA and Pastirik's team-leading 28 points are a big reason why.
Penn State remained at No. 18 in the latest IWLCA rankings after falling to No. 1 Northwestern. The Wildcats unanimously remained at the top spot.
Vanderbilt moved up a spot to No. 9 after improving to a 9-3 record. Ohio State is ranked for the first time since the start of the season, cracking the rankings at No. 19.
When Penn State takes on George Mason Saturday, it will be a homecoming for Will Price. Price, playing in his last regular season match for Penn State, will return to RAC Gym in Fairfax, Va., where he began his career as a Patriot.
He started his career at GMU five seasons ago when he redshirted and then played his redshirt freshman season for the Patriots. He had a stellar campaign that won him the EIVA newcomer of the year award. After that season he transferred to Penn State, where he had to sit out another season. Last season, he was named a first team All-American and he is now wrapping up his career as a Lion.
The Stat Book has been opened to Price's page and we will take a look at his numbers as a freshman in Fairfax and as a senior in State College.
4.41: In his senior season, Price has recorded 4.41 kills per set.
5.49: At GMU he posted an unbelievable 5.49 kills per set.
20: In Price's season as a Patriot he played in 20 matches.
27: The now-All-American has played in 27 matches this season.
33.04: Price has taken an average 33.04 swings per match this season.
39: Price has 39 aces this season.
44.25: In his freshman season Price carried the load taking 44.25 swings per match.
48: In his rookie season he recorded 48 aces.
69: He has 69 service errors this season.
70: The Patriots saw him record 70 errors from behind the service line.
144: Hitting errors as at Patriot.
147: So far this season, Price has 147 hitting errors.
.297: Price attacked at a .297 clip as a freshman.
.300: He has improved three points in his senior campaign.
406: Price had team-high 406 kills at George Mason.
415: So far this season he has compiled a team-high 415 kills for the Lions.
885: Price took 885 swings at GMU.
892: This season has seen Price take 892 swings.
Price's numbers are very similar despite playing in more matches this season. As a Patriot, he was the only weapon and took on average 11 more swings per match played. His hitting percentage is virtually the same. This probably explains how he was able to win Rookie of the Year over Nittany Lion Max Lipsitz. The match should be interesting Saturday. Price will be in a familiar place and if the Stat Book is any indication he'll post familiar numbers.
Ben Heath's success at the plate continued Tuesday when he hit two home runs to help the Penn State baseball team defeat No. 24 Pittsburgh.
The junior catcher has been consistent all season. His current 18-game hitting streak is tied for fourth in the Nittany Lions' history.
Heath ranks near the top of several offensive categories within the Big Ten. Here are those categories in which he ranks in the top 10.
Slugging Percentage- 5th (.756)
Runs Scored- Tied for 9th (29)
Hits- Tied for 4th (47)
RBI- 2nd (38)
Doubles- 1st (13)
Home Runs- 2nd (11)
Sacrifice Flies- Tied for 7th (3)
The numbers Heath has put up appear even greater when compared to the other catchers in the conference. Here are the statistics for the number of home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage of the regular catchers in the Big Ten.
Aaron Johnson (Illinois) - 3 HR, 19 RBI, .415 slug%
Dylan Swift (Indiana) - 0 HR, 10 RBI, .273 slug%
Tyson Blaser (Iowa) - 0 HR, 7 RBI, .388 slug%
Chris Berset (Michigan) - 3 HR, 27 RBI, .591 slug%
Andy Johnson (Michigan State) - 1 HR, 7 RBI, .429 slug%
The late signing period to sign college basketball recruits began today, and Nittany Lion fans can cross one recruit off their wish list.
Dwight McCombs, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward who played at Miami University (Ohio) his freshman year, is no longer being recruited by Penn State, McCombs' junior college coach said today in a phone interview.
Dedrick Shannon, coach at Moraine Valley Junior College outside of Chicago, said Penn State has not returned calls about McCombs. He said head coach Ed DeChellis and an assistant coach traveled to watch McCombs this season.
Shannon said McCombs is considering four schools -- Arizona State, Auburn, Middle Tennessee State and Indiana.
This is almost too hilarious to be true. With all that has happened to Ben Roethlisberger recently, the last thing he needed was another blemish to his name. In fact, he has an organization that donates money to police forces to train and maintain police dogs. But one of those dogs unfortunately picked up one of Roethlisberger's traits. The dog, named Cezar, apparently bit a 9-year-old girl. They just can't keep away from the ladies. The dog is now being retired early from the force. Too bad. I looked forward to that dog throwing a few interceptions in the near future.
Some other things important and not so important:
- Failed first-round quarterback Ryan Leaf is back in the news after being sentenced to 10 years of probation on drug charges. He was also fined $20,000, but he fumbled the hand off and then bad-mouthed the judge before being sacked for a loss.
- A man jumped off a building in NYC, killing himself. The Angels were in town to play the Yankees and many players saw it happen, including pitchers Matt Palmer and Jered Weaver. Palmer said, "Weaver actually saw him splat." I'd make a joke, but it's just awful to begin with.
- The Dolphins acquired WR Brandon Marshall. Good. Now Chad Henne has someone to try and throw touchdowns to. Key word: try.
Video of the week: Sometimes the adrenaline gets the best of you. Sometimes you get caught up in the moment. And sometimes you just have no excuse for massive fail. Like Rasheed Wallace.
Fresh off a two-game sweep of Wisconsin on the road this past weekend, Penn State returns home to Nittany Lion field to play Michigan State in a Wednesday doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.
The Nittany Lions (25-11, 4-2 Big Ten) are on a three-game winning streak but haven't beaten the Spartans at home since 2006. Penn State has surrendered just two runs in its last three games as Lisa Akamine continues to dominate the mound. The sophomore is 13-1 since Feb. 19 and has an ERA near 1.00 during the stretch.
As for the Spartans (17-18, 3-3), they split with Indiana last weekend and are 3-8 on the road.
Here is the statistical breakdown between PSU and MSU, with the Lions playing one more game than Michigan State:
Hitting Batting Average: Penn State, .278 to .247 Extra-Base Hits: Penn State, 68 to 67 Home Runs: Both with 21 Stolen Bases: Penn State, 36-for-42 to 32-for-46 Pitching ERA: Penn State, 2.19 to 2.33 Strikeouts: Penn State, 259 to 164 Walks: Michigan State, 56 to 85
Bill Edwards' transfer to the Miami University of Ohio was made official on Tuesday.
Edwards, who played in 26 games and averaged 4.4 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game this season as a freshman, was named Ohio Senior Player of the Year in 2009. Out of high school, the decision appeared to be between Penn State and Miami Ohio, but he announced his decision to go to Penn State in an emotional press conference.
"Bill has indicated he wants to come to Miami University, and we are thrilled he wants to be a RedHawk," head coach Charlies Coles said in the release. "We recruited him in high school, and we believe he is a talented and versatile player who will be a great addition to our program."
The Middletown, Ohio native's best game came at Purdue, when he posted 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Lions will be able to officially fill their open roster spots tomorrow, the first day of the late signing period.
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The Nittany Lions certainly aren't dwelling on their three-set loss to No. 3 Cal-State Northridge. And neither will we... after this one last post.
The Lions were frustrated after their West Coast trip and said there were definitely things they wanted to work on to get ready for this month's EIVA tournament. But it's always interesting to see the other side of the story.
Here are two videos -- courtesy of the Northridge athletic department -- showing the Matadors' reaction after Saturday night's match. Check it out:
Ben Heath blasts a shot down the left field line for his second home run of the game. Heath continues his hot hitting tonight as he now has 11 homers on the year.
Steranka strikes out for out No. 1 and Glantz grounds out to the third baseman.
Heath Johnson hits a lazy fly ball to the right fielder to end the inning.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Pittsburgh 5, Penn State 4
Top 6
Herring still in the game as we enter the sixth inning, and he gets the first Pitt batter to fly out.
The next Panther grounds out to Steranka, who makes the easy out at first.
With two outs, Herring gives up a long double to one of the furthest points on the field.
Pitt's No. 9 hitter Zach Duggan breaks the tie with an RBI single past Steranka to bring home the run.
Duggan steals second base and then an error by Glantz on a grounder brings in another run.
Stolen base by Lopez, who had reached on the error. Herring is struggling now as he gives up a walk to the next batter.
Herring finally gets out of the inning by getting the next batter to fly out.
2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Pittsburgh 5, Penn State 3
Bottom 5
Picconi flies out to the center fielder.
Steve Snyder reaches first base on a hit, though it looked as if it should have been ruled an error.
The speedy Sean Deegan gets a hit to put two-on with only one out.
An error by the pitcher moves Deegan to second and allows Snyder do tie the game as the ball goes into the outfield.
Searer flies out to the right fielder as Deegan tags up to advance to third base.
Caravalla comes out of the game for Pittsburgh with a runner on third base as J.R. Leonardi takes the mound to pitch.
Leonardi comes in and ends the inning after only two pitches as he gets DeBernardis to ground out to the shortstop.
2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 3, Pittsburgh 3
Top 5
Pittsburgh's batter bunts the ball right to the pitcher for out No. 1 of the inning.
A four-pitch walk to Pitt's leadoff hitter Lopz puts one on base. Lopez looks to make Herring pay by stealing second base to move into scoring position.
Another four-pitch walk puts two on base now but Herring gets the next batter to fly out for the second out.
A wild pitch advances the runners and a two-out double by Kevan Smith brings them home to give Pittsburgh its first lead of the game.
The ensuing batter grounds out to end the inning but not until after the damage was done.
2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Pittsburgh 3, Penn State 2
Bottom 4
Catcher Ben Heath gives a souvenir to the two fans sitting in the right field seats as he blasts a leadoff home run to give Penn State the lead again.
After the Heath home run, Steranka grounds out for the first out followed by a lazy fly out by Michael Glantz.
The inning ends with a groundout to the third baseman by Heath Johnson but Penn State was able to regain the advantage.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 2, Pittsburgh 1
Top 4
Herring leads the inning off with a strikeout against Konieczny.
Brownsten gets a single to left center.
Unconventional double play to end the inning here. The ball hits the pitcher and then the umpire before Picconi picked up the ball to get the lead runner out at second to start the double play.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 1, Pittsburgh 1
Bottom 3
Snyder strikes out swinging at a full count offering for the first out of the Penn State third.
Deegan fouled a ball back that bounced and hit Searer in the on deck circle. It wasn't hard, and he looks fine.
Deegan popped out to second base.
Searer singles to center.
DeBernardis flies out to right field to end the inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 1, Pitt 1
***
Top 3
Lopez is up and rips his second single of the game. He thought about trying for a double, but Snyder got to the ball quickly.
Schultz grounds out to Herring, and Lopez advances to second.
Leonard singles on a soft liner to centerfield. Pitt has runners on the corners with one out.
Smith hits a sacrifice fly to center, and the game is tied at 1.
Whitmore grounds into a force out at second base for the third out.
1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 1, Pitt 1
***
Bottom 2
Glantz flew out to deep center. It was caught just shy of the warning track in front of the 399 ft. marker.
Johnson strikes out looking at a pitch on the outside corner.
Picconi flies out to right center to end the inning.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 1, Pitt 0
***
Top 2
Herring gets Whitmore to fly out to Snyder in center for the first out.
Konieczny walks on a 3-1 count.
Cory Brownsten singles to the shorstop to but two on base with only one out.
Frank Mercurio hits into a fielders choice with Brownsten being thrown out at second. Runners on the corners with two outs.
Herring gets out of the jam by striking out Pittsburgh's No. 9 hitter for the third out of the inning.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Penn State 1, Pittsburgh 0
***
Bottom 1
Deegan steps up to the plate to lead off the game for the Lions. Deegan singles to 1B as he beats the pitcher to the bag. It wasn't even close.
Searer walks on four pitches, and the Lions have two men on to start the inning.
DeBernardis takes a big hack at a 3-1 pitch before walking on the full count offering.
The bases are loaded for Heath. He grounds into a very close double play, but Deegan scores. Wine has a word with the umpire, but the call stands.
Steranka grounds out to second base for the third out.
1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 1, Pitt 0
***
Top 1
Herring's first pitch is a strike on the outside corner. Lopez lines a single into right field to lead off the game.
Schultz walks and the Pitt has runners on 1st and 2nd.
Leonard grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.
Smith grounds out to second base for the third out.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Pitt 0
***
Jen Miller, a senior defender from the 2009 Penn State field hockey team, caught the corner with the ceremonial first pitch.
***
Pittsburgh is 22-8 overall and 6-3 in the Big East. The Panthers' No. 24 ranking is the highest the team has ever had.
***
Here are the lineups for today's game between Penn State and No. 24 Pittsburgh.
Penn State sports information director Brian Siegrist posted a statement via Twitter in response to the amount of chatter. Siegrist said the Nittany Lions decided to leave the tournament in December, but the 76 Classic just showed the change on its Web site this morning.
ESPN media contact Jenny Zimmerman confirmed via 76 Classic organizers that Penn State requested to be removed from the tournament in December.
Siegrist also gave reasoning behind the move, citing Minnesota's very weak showing in the tournament. The Golden Gophers then had to travel back from a Sunday evening game to play a road game at Miami on Monday.
"Lions decided against 3 games in Anaheim, the last Sunday evening, & return for a possible ACC game on Monday or Tuesday in State College," Siegrist tweeted.
The teams remaining in the tournament include Virginia Tech, UNLV, Oklahoma State, Stanford, DePaul, Tulsa and Cal State-Northridge.
The 76 Classic is one of five early-season tournaments that ESPN sponsors, including the Charleston Classic and the OId Spice Classic, which Penn State participated in the past two seasons.
The move makes sense -- if the Nittany Lions can replace these three games with a couple competitive games. One of the biggest critiques of Penn State basketball, stemming particularly from two seasons ago, is the weak nonconference schedule. It likely kept Penn State out of the tournament in 2008-09.
The Lions will travel to Virginia Tech to play a road game in Blacksburg, in addition to hosting a Big Ten/ACC Challenge game at the Bryce Jordan Center. DeChellis also talked about possibly scheduling a game against an SEC opponent in his end-of-the-year press conference.
Former Penn State forward Jason Yeisley, who currently plays for FC Dallas, was surprised to hear of Barry Gorman's departure from the Nittany Lion soccer program.Yeisley hasn't talked to Gorman yet but plans to do so in the next couple of days. Yeisley said he talked to some of his former teammates via phone calls after practice yesterday.To Yeisley, Gorman was the coach who gave him an opportunity to play at a Division I program even though he wasn't a top-notched recruit coming out of Salisbury High School.As to why Gorman left?"I can't say reason without speculation," he said.
This week, we chatted with Lions' freshman goalie Dave Baker. Baker talked about his switch from hockey to lacrosse and his affinity for a certain three-time defending champion volleyball team. A man after my own heart, he also talked about his love of the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins.
CC: Why did you make the switch from hockey to lacrosse?
Baker: It was something new. I was always kinda interested. I never really got heavily recruited to play lacrosse in high school. The awe of playing an NCAA D-1 sport was pretty cool. I'm always interested to see how far I can push myself and see what would happen with it, and I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out so far.
CC: Which of the two is your favorite sport?
Baker: Hockey is probably my favorite sport. I play golf too, but it's pretty much hockey and then lacrosse.
CC: Who's you're favorite hockey player?
Baker: All-time? I'll be honest. Bobby Orr. Easily No. 1.
CC: Were you a defenseman?
Baker: Yea I was a defenseman. Actually my number all throughout high school was No. 4 for that reason.
CC: Are you a Bruins fan or do you just like Bobby Orr?
Baker: I'm kind of a Bruins fan too. They're my second team. I'm a diehard Flyers fan.
CC: That's excellent news. I was afraid you were a Penguins fan, and I might have had to hang up.
Baker: No not at all. I'm from Havertown.
CC: You hear a lot of people say in other sports that goalies are kinda crazy because they get stuff shot at them the entire time. Would you agree with that statement?
Baker: I won't say we're crazy. I might say we have a screw or two loose.
CC: What is your favorite class you're taking this semester?
Baker: I'm gonna sound like a huge loser, but I'm gonna say Organic Chemistry.
CC: Really? I've heard people say they hate that class.
Baker: It's really hard, don't get me wrong. It's a really tough class, and I have to do a ton of studying. Especially because it's the second one, I find a lot of the stuff we do pretty interesting.
CC: What is favorite place to eat on campus?
Baker: Mixed Greens in the HUB hands down.
CC: What do you usually get when you go there?
Baker: I go like a Caesar salad.
CC: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Baker: I'm gonna say [Greg] Sampson just because he's so out there.
CC: Can you give an example of some of the things he does that make you think that?
Baker: It's not even off the field stuff he does. It's stuff he does on the field. An example would be the other day in practice we were scrimmaging, and he was taking a face-off. Somebody came up behind and didn't touch him, and he just flew on the ground and just started screaming for a flag and then, of course, the ball rolls to him and he picks it up and scores a goal. It's kinda comic relief a lot of times in tense situations. Sampson always the one to do something like that.
CC: Final question, who is your favorite Penn State athlete?
Baker: Can I make it a group? Can I say every member of the women's volleyball team?
CC: Absolutely. Do you go to a lot of volleyball games?
Baker: I did a lot last year. I went to a few this year.
It's springtime in Happy Valley, and in this week's Pavcast Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik discusses two April staples -- the EIVA tournament and Major League Baseball season.
First, Pavlik discusses how the No. 12 Nittany Lions will prepare for the upcoming conference tournament, taking advantage of a rare break without matches. Then, the coach talks about his favorite team, the Pirates, and why -- even after 17 straight losing seasons -- he'll root for them year after year.
At the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio yesterday, Bubba Jenkins, on at least two occasions, said Arizona State was the leading candidate in his search for a new school. Today, Jenkins confirmed he will attend Arizona State, though, he hasn't signed a National Letter of Intent yet. Jenkins placed first in the 145.5-pound weight class at the University Nationals.
Some current Penn State wrestlers also competed. David Taylor placed first at 154 pounds, Quentin Wright placed first at 185 pounds and possible future reinstated Nittany Lion Jared Platt placed second at 211.5 pounds. Below is a video of one of Jenkins' interviews and a link to another interview. Check out the Collegian tomorrow for the full scope of his decision.
Bill Edwards may be coming closer to a decision as to where he will be transferring.
The freshman swingman, who made a decision to leave Penn State, citing a desire to be closer to home, may be transferring to Miami University (Ohio), according to this Scout.com article.
But Miami basketball sports information director Angie Renninger said the decision was in fact not yet official and she could not comment as to whether Edwards has been in contact with the basketball program.
If Edwards does sign his transfer papers to Miami, Renninger said, only then would the school be able comment on Edwards' decision.
As a freshman at Penn State, Edwards averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. He missed five games this season with a pair of injuries, one to his knee and one to his ankle.
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In addition to Penn State's 12-7 loss to Drexel on Saturday, there was plenty of quality lacrosse this weekend in the CAA. Two one-goal games, including a major upset, speak volumes to just how difficult playing in this conference can be and prove that no team is safe.
Hofstra 12 - Delaware 11
On one of college lacrosse's biggest stages this season, the Konica-Minolta Big City Classic at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., No. 10 Hofstra held off the Blue Hens to pick its first conference win of the season. The Pride (7-3, 1-2 CAA) were led by junior Jay Card and sophomore Kevin Ford who both found the back of the net three times. Card added three assists for a team-high six points. Sophomore Andrew Gvozden stopped 11 shots en route to the victory.
Delaware (5-6, 0-2 CAA) received four goals and an assist from senior attackman Curtis Dickson, and had eight different players score in the game. The Blue Hens scored three times in the fourth quarter, but the Pride's six-goal second quarter proved to be the difference.
Towson 10 - UMass 9
Heading into Saturday as the No. 7 team in the country and having emerged as the CAA's team to beat, UMass was stunned on Saturday by the Tigers. Towson's Carl Iacona's go-ahead goal midway through the fourth quarter was enough to hand the Minutemen (7-3, 2-1 CAA) their first CAA loss ever. The Tigers (4-5, 2-0 CAA) were led by senior Will Harrington's hat-trick and a pair of goals each from attackmen Matt Lamon and Christian Pastirik.
UMass' Tim McCormack made a career-high 18 saves in net and sophomore middie Anthony Biscardi had three goals in the loss. Freshman attackman Will Manny added two goals and an assist to increase his season point total to 32, second highest on the team.
The stars were out at the Nittany Lion Inn Sunday, as the Penn State wrestling team held its annual awards banquet. Here's a look at which Nittany Lions won awards.
William Neidig Award for the Outstanding Wrestler of the Year
Senior Dan Vallimont- Like Avatar, there was much hype surrounding Vallimont in the Penn State award season after his national runner-up finish at 165-pounds. It's not a surprise he came away with this honor after capping a 108-win career with a strong senior season.
Charles M. Spiedel Award
Senior Dan Vallimont- This award goes to the senior with the most career dual meet wins for the Lions. Vallimont finished his career with 57 wins in duals.
Most Bonus Points Award
Senior Cyler Sanderson- Sanderson will go down as the first-ever Most Bonus Points Award winner. The senior had several big wins, including a span in which he had four-straight pins.
Best Freestyle Award
Senior Cyler Sanderson and junior Brady Pataky- Like Sanderson, Pataky had a strong season. He'll have a chance to improve on his 43-11 career dual meet record next season as a senior.
Larry Reilly Courage Award
Senior Dave Erwin- This award goes to Erwin for "showing courage in wrestling to help the team." The 184-pounder who struggled with injuries throughout his career came back to be a dominant force at his weight in the Big Ten. Erwin finished the season with a 31-10 record.
Kaye Vinson Award as the Most Improved Wrestler
Junior Adam Lynch- Who else could this award go to? Lynch came out of nowhere and seemed to gain momentum with each Big Ten win. He ended the year just 13-13, but posted a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten.
Eleventh Man Award
Redshirting sophomore Quentin Wright- This award was given to Wright for his leadership and dedication to the team in his redshirt season. He won four open tournaments during the 2009-10 campaign.
Bill Koll Award
Freshman David Taylor- Taylor won this award as the most outstanding freshman wrestler. There were other rising young grapplers such as Ed Ruth or Jake Kemerer who could have contested for this award. However, Taylor's 21-2 record as an unattached wrestler was tough to beat.
Academic Excellence Award
Freshman Andrew Church- Church went 7-9 this season while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. He is working toward a degree in mechanical engineering.
The Lions dropped to 1-9 on the year with a 12-7 loss to Drexel on Saturday. Still winless in the CAA at 0-2, Penn State will get a another shot at its first conference win on Saturday night when Hofstra visits Happy Valley. But first, let's take a look a statistical look at Saturday's loss.
3...goals scored by Drexel's Colin Ambler in the first quarter. Ambler finished the day with a game-high four goals.
9...seconds between Ambler's first and second goals, coming at the 9:49 and 9:40 marks of the first quarter.
11...face-offs won by Charley Henneghan in 17 opportunities. Henneghan had won just 11 face-offs combined in the Lions' previous three games.
16...saves by Drexel's Mark Manos. Manos' 11.64 saves per game average is tops in the CAA.
6...goals scored by Drexel in the first quarter. The Lions have given up 42 goals in the first quarter this season, more than any other quarter.
0...goals scored by Penn State on three man-up opportunities.
1...assist by Penn State. Kyle VanThof fed fellow freshman Billy Gribbin midway through the third quarter for Gribbin's 18th goal of the year. The rest of the Lions six goals went unassisted.
13...shots registered by the Lions in the fourth quarter in which they scored just twice.
2...goals scored by Matt Mackrides, upping his season total to a team-leading 27.
22...groundballs scooped up by the Lions, their single game season-low.
It Was Over When...: The Nittany Lions scheduled the match -- their 14th contest in 38 days. Penn State was mentally and physically tired and just couldn't match the intensity of No. 4 Cal State-Northridge, an elite program that is in the heat of the competitive MPSF race.
Player of the Match: Edgardo Goas. Often unsung, Penn State's setter did everything asked of him. As usual. Goas tallied 45 assists, picked up eight digs and even registered three kills on five attempts.
Stat of the Match: 14.5. The Matadors recorded 14.5 blocks in the match -- and that was just too much for the Lions to handle.
Surprise of the Match: Alan Mars started. After the Lions struggled against UCSB last night, coach Mark Pavlik decided to try something different and start Mars in the middle instead of frosh Nick Turko. But the coach rotated between the two throughout the match.
What's Next: Penn State will head to George Mason on Friday for its regular-season finale.
The city of Boston already wants Penguins forward Matt Cooke's head on a spike after his headshot to Marc Savard last month. But before the Bruins can play the Pens again, Atlanta Thrashers star Evander Kane decided he wanted first dibs. The outcome? A one-punch knockout of Cooke. Who said a hockey fight had to be long to be good?
Heath Johnson who has been the designated hitter all game comes in for the save opportunity with a one-run lead.
Johnson gets the first two batters to fly out to the left fielder for two quick outs.
A four-pitch walk with two outs by Johnson puts a a man on base. Lashmet smokes a ball back to Johnson who shows off his quick reflexes to snag the ball and make the play for the final out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
FINAL SCORE
Penn State 6, Northwestern 5
Bottom 8
Deegan attempts to bunt to lead off the inning but pops out to the pitcher.
Heath Johnson strikes out swinging followed by a groundout by Joey DeBernardis.
Real quick inning by the Nittany Lion batters as we head to the last inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 6, Northwestern 5
Top 8
Alfreno gets a quick first out to start the top of the eighth inning by getting Northwestern's to ground out to first base.
Seyferth, Northwestern's designated hitter, draws the one out walk.
Alfreno gets the following batter to strike out swinging but then walks the next hitter with two outs. A big at-bat against center fielder Arby Fields coming up next as Alfreno comes out of the game for David Lutz.
On the second pitch Lutz gets Fields to ground up the middle for the out as Picconi flipped the ball behind him to Glantz for the nice play.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Penn State 6, Northwestern 5
Bottom 7
Joey DeBernardis flies out for the first out of the bottom of the seventh.
Catcher Ben Heath continues his hot hitting with a single, his third hit of the game.
Steranka grounds into a fielders choice with Heath getting thrown out at second. Steranka makes it to second on an error.
Michael Glantz gets hit by a pitch on the ensuing at bat to bring up Elliot Searer with two-on and two outs.
Big clutch hit by Searer to bring in Steranka for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh.
Picconi walks to load the bases.
Steve Snyder unable to bring in any insurance runs with the bases loaded as he strikes out for the third out. However, Penn State does get a run in the inning with only two more to go.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Penn State 6, Northwestern 5
Top 7
Northwestern's Zach Morton leads off the seventh inning with a hit up the middle.
The next Wildcat batter grounds into a fielders choice followed by a flyout.
Lashmet singles for the Wildcats but gets thrown out trying to steal second right after.
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 5
Bottom 6
Snyder fails to record a hit for the first time in three tries today, as he goes down swinging to start the sixth.
Deegan pops one up into foul territory along the third baseline, and Lashmet makes the play against the wall, despite a group of fans fighting him for a souvenir.
One pitch later, Heath Johnson flies out to center and, like Northwestern in the top half, Penn State goes down 1-2-3 in the sixth.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
End 6
Penn State 5, Northwestern 5
***
Top 6
Routine ground ball to Glantz at short to start the sixth. One away.
Herring picks up his first strikeout of the day one batter later, as he gets Rowan to go down swinging.
Another groundout to Glantz ends the inning. A quick 1-2-3 inning pitched by Herring.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 5, Northwestern 5
***
Bottom 5
DeBernardis, who had an RBI single his last time up, leads off the inning with a shot to the shortstop. Stevens bobbles it, and the throw ends up being just a bit late, as DeBernardis reaches on the error.
Heath lines one over the right fielder's head that one-hops up against the wall. Heath is into second standing up with a double and DeBernardis move up to third on the play, giving the Lions runners on second and third with nobody out for Steranka.
Steranka picked up two RBIs with a bases-loaded single in his last at bat.
Not this time, though, as he pops out to the shortstop.
Now Glantz steps in, looking for his first hit of the day. He's gotten underneath the ball in both plate appearances today, recording a pair of fly outs.
After falling behind in the count 3-1, NU chooses to put Glantz on with an intentional ball four, loading the bases.
Searer comes up to the plate, also looking for his first hit of the day. He ropes one into center, but it's right at Fields, who makes the catch.
It is deep enough, however, to score the runner from third as DeBernardis tags up and scores without a throw. The game is tied again, now 5-5.
And the fifth inning then comes to an end on a highlight-reel play by Lashmet at third to get Picconi.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB
End 5
Penn State 5, Northwestern 5
***
Top 5
Walter back out to start the fifth for Penn State. Despite giving up three runs, Walter has only allowed two hits through the first four innings.
He issues a leadoff walk, though, to start the inning. That's his third walk of the day.
Risky call by Northwestern's Arby Fields, as he tries to lay down a bunt with two strikes, and it backfires. The ball rolls foul and Fields is out. One out.
Ground ball to the left side, Steranka backhands it and makes a long throw to first just in time to get the runner. Two outs.
Another hard-hit ball to the left side, and Glantz makes the backhand stop this time, sliding to a knee. But the throw draws DeBernardis off the bag, and the runner is safe. He may have beaten it out even with a good throw, it goes as a hit and Rowan scores on the play to the game 4-4.
Snieder now lines one to left-center and Noble goes from first to third on the play. Runners on the corners with two outs now for Lashmet.
Walter hits Lashmet, and that'll be the last batter he faces today, as the Lions go to the bullpen and bring in another freshman, Neal Herring.
Herring comes into a tie game in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs to face Trevor Stevens, who is 1-for-1 so far today with an RBI single and a walk.
Herring walks Stevens on four pitches to force in the go-ahead run. NU leads 5-4.
A high chopper to Picconi at second, who makes the stop and throws to first to prevent any further damage in the inning.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB
Penn State 4, Northwestern 5
***
Bottom 4
Picconi goes down looking to start the fourth for Penn State, but Snyder follows it up with his second hit of the day on a single to the left side.
Another backwards 'K' as Deegan goes down looking for out No. 2.
And Heath Johnson then lifts a pop up to the right side, where second baseman Zach Morton is waiting to make the catch for the third out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB
End 4
Penn State 4, Northwestern 3
***
Top 4
Walter starts off the fourth inning with another strikeout -- his fourth of the day -- on a check swing. Initially called a ball, but the appeal to the first base umpire worked out in Penn State's favor.
Walter then issues a walk to Stevens, who wastes no time in swiping his 10th base of the season, giving NU a runner in scoring position with one out.
A hard shot to Glantz at shortstop, but he scoops it off one hop and retires the batter at first. Stevens advances to third on the play with two outs.
High fly ball to left, but Deegan takes a few steps in and makes the catch to end the inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors. 1 LOB
Penn State 4, Northwestern 3
***
Bottom 3
Picconi swings at the first pitch and grounds out to short. One out.
Snyder rips a single up the middle.
Deegan singles to center and a soft liner. Fields let the ball get by him and Snyder came around to score. Deegan advanced to second on the error. Snyder would have been on third because he had a got a good read on the ball.
Johnson gets an infield single on a ball up the middle. NU second baseman Zach Morton made a nice play to save a run.
DeBernardis rips a hard grounder up the middle for a single. Deegan scored on the play and Johnson advanced to third. DeBernardis took second on the throw to third.
Ben Heath is up with two men in scoring position. He fouled one back that entered the press box, but everyone is alright. Heath walks to load the bases.
Steranka singles on a line drive to center and two runs score to give the Lions the lead. Penn State leads 4-3.
Northwestern is making a pitching change. Joe Muraski is the new pitcher for the Wildcats.
Glantz pops up to the second baseman in shallow center field. Two outs.
Searer grounds out to second base to end the inning.
4 Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Error, 2 LOB
Penn State 4, Northwestern 3
***
Top 3
Morton steps up the plate and looks at a strike to begin the third inning. He flies out to right field on a 2-2 pitch.
Noble strikes out swinging for the second out.
Snieder grounds out to 1B.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 3
***
Bottom 2
Heath singles on a ball that got by the 3B. The ball hopped off the heel of his glove and went into left field.
DeBernardis hit a line drive to left that looked to be caught, but Rowan apparently dropped the ball. Northwestern is questioning the call, But DeBernardis remains on base because of the error.
Glantz is up and looking to advance the runners with a bunt. He took the first pitch and fouled the second one back. He popped the next pitch up to Jahns for the first out.
Searer grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the Lions' scoring threat.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 3
***
Top 2
Snieder hits a double to right-center for the first hit of the ballgame.
Lashmet grounds out to 3B, but Snieder advances to third.
Stevens singles through the left side of the infield to plate Snieder and put the Wildcats on top, 1-0.
Seyferth walks on four pitches.
A wild pitch allows the runners to advance to 2nd and 3rd. Stevens would have been out at 3rd, but Steranka dropped the ball.
Another wild pitch allows Stevens to score and make it 2-0.
Kontos hit one back to Walter, who over-threw DeBernardis at first and Seyferth scored. Kontos advanced to second on the play.
Rowan grounded out to Picconi at 2B, and Kontos moves up to 3rd.
Fields grounds out to 3B to end the inning.
3 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Bottom 1
Deegan stands in to lead off the inning for Penn State. He jumps ahead in the count, 3-1, before grounding out to SS for the first out.
Johnson strikes out on a 3-2 curveball that breaks back over the plate. Two out.
DeBernardis grounds out to SS to end the inning.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Top 1
John Walter puts Fields in an 0-2 hole before getting him to ground out. He hit a slow hopper back to Walter for the first out.
Morton just misses a double as the ball lands a few feet foul of the LF line. Walter gets Morton to strike out looking for the second out.
Walter paints the outside corner with a breaking ball to strike out Noble.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Lady Lion forward Marisa Wolfe threw a strike for the ceremonial first pitch. Sign her up.
***
It's another sunny day at Medlar Field for the last game of this weekend series with Northwestern. The Wildcats have won the first two games, but Penn State has had late leads in both contests.
On paper, this should be a sweep for Penn State. Wisconsin is in the cellar of the Big Ten, with a 9-20 record, with an 0-4 mark in the conference, while the Nittany Lions are 23-11 and 2-2 in the Big Ten.
Penn State has also dominated the Badgers in recent years, going 5-1 since 2007 against Wisconsin.
The Badgers are led at the plate by Molly Spence, who is hitting .376 with six home runs and 17 RBI, the highest totals of any Wisconsin player. However, the rest of the team is hitting only .264 behind Spence.
On the mound, the Badgers feature Letty Olivarez. Olivarez has a 3.96 ERA with a 6-14 record. Behind Olivarez, Wisconsin has two pitchers, Kristyn Hansen and Meghan Mcintosh, who both have ERAs above eight.
Penn State should be able to get to the Badgers' pitchers early and often in this weekend matchup.
Hitting
Batting Average: Penn State has the advantage .277 to .264
Hits: Penn State has the advantage 247 to 190
Home Runs: Penn State has the advantage 21 to 18
Stolen Bases: Penn State has the advantage 34-40 to 38-49
Pitching
ERA: Penn State has the advantage 2.26 to 5.26
Strikeouts: Penn State has the advantage 249 to 122
Tom Copain here live from Philadelphia as Penn State takes on No. 8 Drexel at Vidas Field on a beautiful spring afternoon. The Nittany Lions are looking for their first conference win, while the Dragons are trying to keep pace with Massachusetts at the top of the CAA. We're just about ready to get going so keep it here for all the action
First Quarter
Penn State draws an early penalty as Drexel is called for unnecessary roughness. Penn State goes man up for a minute but cannot convert on the opportunity. Kyle VanThof does score on a wraparound chance for the first goal of the game.
11:51 left - Penn State 1, Drexel 0
Drexel answers right back as Kevin Stockel converts on a chance in front of the net to beat Dave Baker. Penn State also takes a penalty and Colin Ambler scores.
9:49 left - Drexel 2, Penn State 1
Ambler scores nine seconds later on a shot that trickles by Baker.
9:40 left - Drexel 3, Penn State 1
Matt Mackrides gets an unassisted tally to put the Lions back within one. It's Mackrides' first goal in since Bucknell.
7:12 left - Drexel 3, Penn State 2
Ambler has the hat trick in the first quarter as he takes a pass from Adam Dennis and gets a leaping goal. Mackrides has his second of the game 24 seconds later to answer for PSU
5:15 left - Drexel 4, Penn State 3
Dan Layfield with a strong individual effort and a hard shot that beats Baker. Penn State takes a timeout.
4:19 left - Drexel 5, Penn State 3
Dennis with another strong one-on-one effort finished off with a low shot that beats Baker.
2:25 left - Drexel 6, Penn State 3
Chris Hogan has a bouncing shot stopped as the quarter ends
End of the first - Drexel 6, Penn State 3
Second Quarter
Ambler gets his fourth of the game.
14:54 left - Drexel 7, Penn State 3
Penn State can't score on a long possession after the goal. Drexel takes over.
Lions can't clear the zone and Stockel makes them pay with another unassisted goal. Drexel really strong in one-on-one offensively so far.
8:49 left - Drexel 8, Penn State 3
VanThof ends the Lions scoring drought with an unassisted goal between the legs of Drexel's Mark Manos. PSU hadn't scored since 7:12 of the first.
5:39 left - Drexel 8, Penn State 4
Each team has chances but cannot convert as the half winds down.
Halftime - Drexel 8, Penn State 4
Third Quarter
Robert Church scores on a shot that takes a couple of bounces, glances off of Baker's leg and rolls in.
Drexel 9, Penn State 4
Billy Gribbin scores on an assist from VanThof. The freshman adds an assist to his two goals on the afternoon.
8:18 left - Drexel 9, Penn State 5
Ryan West gets on the scoresheet. He fires a low shot that beats Baker and sneaks inside the post.
Drexel 10, Penn State 5
Both teams are held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, including a Baker kick save in the last minute.
End of the third quarter - Drexel 10, Penn State 5
Fourth Quarter
Nick Dolik scores on a diving effort, but Drexel gets it right back off of the faceoff.
14:12 left - Drexel 11, Penn State 6
Robert Church scores for the Dragons, who are pulling away from the Lions. If this score holds, it will be Drexel's first win against Penn State since 1985.
Drexel 12, Penn State 6
Colton Vosburgh hits the post as Drexel takes a 30 second pushing penalty before the media timeout.
6:21 left - Drexel 12, Penn State 6
Matt Shankoff gets a late goal but it's too little, too late for the Lions. The clock expires and Drexel gets its third-ever win against Penn State.
It Was Over When...: Penn State relinquished a 6-2 second-set lead for No. 11 UCSB to tie the score up at 9. The Nittany Lions dropped a tight first set but looked like they were ready to fight. But after the Gauchos started to take control of set two, they took control of the match. And the Lions couldn't figure out a way to respond.
Player of the Match: Joe Sunder. The redshirt sophomore registered a team-high 16 kills on .463 hitting. And 10 digs. See if he stays hot tonight.
Stat of the Match: Three. The number of statistical categories (kills, points and digs) that the Lions edged the Gauchos in. But they still lost the match.
Surprise of the Match: The seniors struggled. Max Lipsitz -- who currently leads the nation in hitting -- had nine kills, but attacked on a .263 percentage. Meanwhile, Will Price registered a negative hitting percentage through the first two sets, leading coach Mark Pavlik to start freshman Tom Comfort at opposite hitter in the third. Both players -- especially Lipsitz -- usually raise their level when Penn State plays tougher MPSF teams.
What's next: The Lions take on No. 4 Cal State-Northridge tonight at 10 ET.
Penn State will have its 3-4-5 hitters to start the 11th, with Steranka, Heath and Jacobs coming up.
Steranka wastes no time sending a ball to the warning track, but the left fielder makes the catch just short of the wall for the first out.
Heath strikes out and Penn State is down to its final out.
Jacobs bloops a full-count pitch into shallow right, and the catch is made to end it.
Northwestern wins 3-2 in 11 innings and Penn State will try to salvage a win out of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1:05.
Final Score
Northwestern 3, Penn State 2
***
Top 11
Lutz still on the mound to start the 11th for Penn State. He issues a free pass to Morton to start the inning.
Brant Cavagnaro lays down a sacrifice bunt and Lutz fields it and tags him for the first out. Morton moves to second on the play.
Kontos now hits one to straightaway center and it carries all the way to the wall, but Deegan tracks it down for the second out. Morton tags up and goes to third on the play.
Rowan then lines one down the first-base line and into right field for a double, allowing Morton to score and putting Northwestern ahead 3-2.
Next batter grounds out to second and the inning is over, but the damage is done, as Northwestern picks up the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Northwestern 3, Penn State 2
***
Bottom 10
A pair of fly outs to right, one by Searer and the other by Picconi, start the 10th inning and Penn State quickly has two outs with nobody on for Deegan.
Deegan works a walk to keep the inning alive and DeBernardis steps up for Penn State.
Deegan steals second on the first pitch, and the throw from the catcher ends up getting by the shortstop and into center field, allowing Deegan to go to third.
Good battle right now between DeBernardis and Morton as the count sits at 2-2, and DeBernardis has fouled off a few in a row.
But now he lines one to center and it's right at the center fielder, who makes the catch and sends this one to the 11th.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
End 10
Penn State 2, Northwestern 2
***
Top 10
Fly out to right field starts the tenth. One out.
Snieder then singles up the middle, and ends a streak of 11-straight batters being retired between the two teams.
But it goes for naught, as Lutz gets the next batter to ground into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 2, Northwestern 2
***
Bottom 9
Penn State will have Jacobs, Eramo and Glantz to lead off the inning. Searer will come up next if anybody gets on.
But Jacobs goes down looking to start the inning. That's three strikeouts against just four hitters already for Morton.
Full-count pitch to Eramo...
It's fouled off and they'll do it again.
This time he swings and misses, two outs.
Glantz will try to keep the inning alive for Penn State.
But he can't. Yet another strikeout for Morton, who strikes out the side in order and has now struck out five of the six batters he's faced today.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
End 9
Penn State 2, Northwestern 2
***
Top 9
Lutz induces a groundout to start the ninth inning, one away.
And he wastes no time recording the second out, getting Fields to go down swinging.
Then a fly out to shallow center field, and the Wildcats go down 1-2-3 in their half of the ninth.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 2, Northwestern 2
***
Bottom 8
DeBernardis set to lead off the inning for Penn State against Zach Morton, who has moved from second base to pitcher.
And he gets off to a good start on the mound, striking out DeBernardis.
Another strikeout for Morton, as he gets Steranka to go down swinging for out No. 2.
Heath hits a slow-roller to third, but Lashmet barehands it and makes the throw to first for the third out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
End 8
Penn State 2, Northwestern 2
***
Top 8
Glantz throws another one in the dirt, but DeBernardis can't scoop it this time around and Northwestern has its leadoff man on base again.
A single to right gives the Wildcats runners on first and second with nobody out.
Ignas makes a good pitch on the sacrifice bunt attempt, going high and inside, but Lashmet is able to get it down anyway. He's thrown out at first, but the runners move up.
Morton, who knocked in Northwestern's only run so far with a double earlier, is intentional walked to load the bases.
Lutz comes on in relief for Ignas with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh and Penn State leading 2-1.
Ground ball to Steranka at third, who throws it to first for one out. Questionable play, as Steranka certainly had time to at least step on third. Whether he could have thrown to first and turned the double play after is questionable, but he could have at least prevented Northwestern from having a runner on third.
Turns out not to matter, though, as the next hitter lines out to Picconi at second. Inning over, but Northwestern has tied it up.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB
Penn State 2, Northwestern 2
***
Bottom 7
The Lions have their leadoff man on, as Searer singles to start the inning.
Picconi pushes Searer into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt back to the mound. One out.
Searer is caught stealing third and another Penn State baserunner goes to waste.
And now Deegan strikes out swinging with a full count one pitch later.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB
End 7
Penn State 2, Northwestern 1
***
Top 7
Kontos leads off the seventh with a hit through the left side of the infield, giving Northwestern a man on first to start the inning.
Next batter chops one to Steranka who doesn't have time to get the runner at second, but makes the play to first for an out.
A nice dig by DeBernardis on a throw from Glantz gives Penn State two outs, as the runner moves up to third.
Another groundout ends the inning.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 2, Northwestern 1
***
Bottom 6
Jokisch stays in the game for Northwestern and gets Bobby Jacobs to strike out for the first out.
Eramo gets a hit through the gap between the second baseman and first baseman.
After Glantz almost gets hit by a pitch, he flies out to the left fielder for the second out.
Horrible stolen base attempt, which may have been an attempted hit-and-run without the hit, gets Eramo thrown out on the base paths.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 2, Northwestern 1
Top 6
Ignas still pitching really well here today as he gets Northwestern's batter to ground out.
The sophomore pitcher gets the following hitter to ground out as well he is really hitting his stride now.
Looks like I may have jinxed Ignas a little bit as Northwestern's Chris Lashmet hits a double down the third base line. How will Ignas respond to having a runner on second and two outs.
There goes the shutout for Ignas after Zach Morton ropes a double into the gap.
After giving up one run, Ignas responds by getting the ensuing batter to ground out to Jordan Steranka, who tags out the baserunner.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 2, Northwestern 1
Bottom 5
Elliot Searer grounds out to the shortstop for an out.
Picconi hits the ball up the middle and gets the ball past a diving shortstop for the hit.
Picconi moves to third after a wild pitch and then throwing error by the catcher.
Deegan up now with a chance for the sacrifice. Northwestern's pitcher shows some wildness and walks Deegan to bring up DeBernardis with two on.
DeBo comes up with the big hit to bring in Picconi from third. Lions now have a two-run lead on the Wildcats.
Steranka grounds out to the first baseman but advances both runners up a base.
Heath strikes out to end the inning but Penn State adds another run to it's slim lead.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Penn State 2, Northwestern 0
Top 5
Ignas starts the fifth inning with a strikeout. Coming into today's game, he had 16 punch outs in 36 innings.
Nice play by the shortstop Glantz to gun down the next batter at first.
Northwestern gets a hit off of the pitcher's glove with the top of the lineup now up.
A double by Arby Fields with two-outs puts runners on second and third.
Crisis avoided after Ignas gets the following batter to pop up for the out.
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Penn State 1, Northwestern 0
Bottom 4
Steranka smacks the ball right up the middle for Penn State's first hit of the game.
Heath gets a hit himself to move Steranka to third. Let's see if Penn State can get a run or two on the board here.
Jacobs flies out to the right fielder but gets the ball far enough to bring in the runner from third. The Lions lead 1-0 now after the sacrifice fly.
Great defensive play by the right fielder. After misreading the pop up and running way in front of the ball, he turns around and makes an over the shoulder grab for out No. 3.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 1, Northwestern 0
Top 4
Ground rule double to right center to start the top of the fourth inning.
Really nice grab by Ignas to get the baserunner caught between second and third base. After running him down, Ignas throws the ball to Glantz. However, Glantz holds on to the ball way too long and throws it to Steranka, who drops the ball as the runner slides into third. Runners on first and third now with one out.
Ignas gets the ensuing batter to ground into a double play to keep the game tied at zero.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
Bottom 3
The Lion batters are having trouble against NU's lefty pitcher. They struggled against left-handed reliever David Jensen last night, too.
Searer strikes out looking on a pitch that must have caught the outside corner.
Picconi hits one down the left field line that had the distance but was just foul. That would have been the senior's first career home run. Picconi tries to check his swing, but he offers and strikes out. Two out.
Deegan hits a sharp grounder to 1B, but it gets by Snieder for a two-base error. Deegan is now in scoring position, at second, for DeBernardis.
DeBernardis hits a slow roller to Snieder, who fields it and steps on first for the out.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error, 1 LOB
End 3
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Top 3
Kontos steps in to lead off the third inning. He lines a 1-2 pitch to 2B and Picconi makes the catch.
Rowan hits a double down the RF line.
Fields grounds out to SS for the second out, and Rowan advanced to third.
Stevens grounds out to SS to end the NU third inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Bottom 2
Heath flies out on a deep fly ball to center. Fields ran it down near the warning track for the first out.
Jacobs grounds out to second.
Eramo works the count full and fouls off some pitches before drawing a walk.
Glantz walks after another lengthy at-bat.
Searer steps up to the plate with two men on. Eramo is caught taking too large of a lead off second base and was picked off by the NU catcher for the third out.
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
End 2
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Top 2
Snieder hits a grounder through the hole between the 1B and 2B and is on with a single.
Lashmet has two strikes on him, but he's fouling several balls off. After a small battle, Ignas gets Lashmet to ground into 6-4-3 double play.
Morton singles on a soft liner to center.
With Everett batting, Morton steals second to move into scoring position. Ignas strikes Everett out swinging to end the inning.
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
Bottom 1
Deegan steps in to face the LHP Eric Jokisch. He grounds out on a one hopper to second base for the first out.
Jokisch is throwing in the high 80s with his fastball. DeBernardis goes down swinging for the second out.
Steranka swings and misses for a third strike.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
End 1
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0***
Top 1
Fields steps into the box and the game is underway. Ignas' first pitch is a strike. Fields grounds the second pitch to Picconi at 2B for the first out.
Stevens grounds out to Picconi again.
Steranka makes a nice play to his left at 3B and throws out Noble at first. Ignas throws a quick 1-2-3 inning with three groundouts.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 0, Northwestern 0
***
The only notable change in the Penn State lineup is Sean Deegan getting a start in center, while Steve Snyder gets a day off.
The weather is much better than it was last night as the grounds crew is preparing the field for today's game.
The Lions are down to their final two outs as Steve Snyder steps up to the plate.
Snyder pops out to the 1B in foul ground for the second out.
Deegan hits a ball in the hole between 1st and 2nd. The second baseman couldn't field in cleanly and Deegan is on base. It's ruled an error.
Searer hits a bloop single to right field to keep the game going. Deegan was running on the play and advanced to third.
Steranka puts a charge into one, but it's caught by the left fielder for the final out.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error, 2 LOB
Penn State 5, Northwestern 11
***
Top 9
Erik Rumberger is on to pitch for the Lions.
Quentin Williams pinch hits and flies out to center.
Fields flies out to left for the second out.
Stevens grounds out for a quick 1-2-3 inning.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB, 2 Brave fans still sitting beyond the right field wall.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 11
***
Bottom 8
Heath steps in and rips a liner right past the pitcher into center for a single.
DeBernardis grounds out to 3B on a slow roller. Heath advances to second.
Michael Glantz is now pinch hitting for Eramo. He'll probably enter the game at SS, with Picconi moving to 2B and Searer to RF.
Glantz works the count full and flies out to right field.
Jacobs steps into the box trying to keep the inning going. He flies out to right field to end the inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 5, Northwestern 11
***
Top 8
Kontos flies out to center as Snyder makes a nice running catch for the first out.
Rowan hits a liner back up the middle for a single.
Fields hits a grounder back to Hill. Picconi drops the throw to second in an attempt to turn two, and everyone is safe.
Heath Johnson is now coming into pitch. This is a regular RF coming in to pitch in a tied game in the eighth inning.
Johnson, who grew up playing in Texas, is pitching in the snow. His first pitch is wild and goes to the backstop. Runners are now on 2nd and 3rd.
Stevens hits a dying quail that falls behind Steranka at third base. Picconi got the ball quickly so only one run scored.
There are runners on the corners with one out. Noble hits a ball to the gap that bounces over the fence for a ground-rule double. NU could have scored two if the ball didn't hop over. NU now leads 7-5.
David Lutz is pitching for the Lions. Sneider hits a high pop that Searer nearly runs down in shallow center, but it dropped. One run scored and Snieder advanced to second on the throw.
Lashmet singles to center and two more runs come in. Lashmet advanced to second on the throw.
Morton hits another single up the middle, and Lashmet scored. It's now 11-5, Northwestern.
Lutz strikes out Everett for the second out of the inning. If the Lions had been able to turn that double play earlier in the inning, none of the runs would have scored.
Kontos flies out to center. Three outs.
6 Runs, 6 Hits, 1 Errors, 1 LOB
Penn State 5, Northwestern 11
***
Bottom 7
David Jensen is now pitching for the Wildcats. He has a 7.63 ERA this season.
Deegan steps to the plate for the lefty vs. lefty matchup. This is an area Wine said he wants to see Deegan improve in.
Deegan strikes out to begin the bottom of the seventh.
Searer falls behind in the count 0-2 and swings and misses for a third strike. Two out.
Jensen strikes out the side as he gets Steranka to go down swinging.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
Penn State 5, Northwestern 5
***
Top 7
Arby Fields leads off the inning for NU. He's 2-3 with two singles so far. He hits a hopper back to Hill, who throws to first for the out. One down.
Stevens hits a liner that Snyder can't come up with. He misjudged it or else it would have been an out. Stevens stays at first with a single.
Noble lines the next pitch right up the middle into center field and Stevens moves to third.
The Lions have a conference at the mound. Snieder hits a sharp grounder to the right of DeBernardis at first. He couldn't come up with it and Stevens scored.
Lashmet follows with another single to right field and we're tied. NU has men on first and second with just one out.
Snyder and DeBernardis had two makeable plays that could have been outs this inning.
Morton hits a lazy liner that Snyder catches in center for the second out.
Picconi fields a Rowan grounder and flips it to Searer at 2nd for the final out of the NU seventh.
2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
Penn State 5, Northwestern 5
***
Bottom 6
Three quick outs by Penn State in the bottom of the inning.
First, Jacobs grounds out to the third baseman.
Second, Picconi grounds out to the shortstop.
And third, Snyder bunts out to the pitcher.
We're headed to the final three innings.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 3
Top 6
Wanamaker strikes out the first Wildcat batter of the inning and then heads to the bench.
Steven Hill to take over the pitching duties for the senior Wanamaker. Let's see if he can preserve the two-run Penn State lead.
Hill gets a quick first out by getting the Northwestern batter to ground out to third baseman Jordan Steranka for the second out.
Steve Snyder unable to catch up to a long fly ball hit by Kontos toward the nook in left-center field as the ball drops in for a double.
DeBernarndis drops a foul ball for an error.
Hill gets out of any trouble by getting the next batter to strike out, holding Penn State's 5-3 advantage.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 3
Bottom 5
Ben Heath drops a single right between the left and center fielder for the Nittany Lions.
After going ahead 3-1, DeBernardis strikes out swinging and Heath gets thrown out trying to steal second on the pitch. Just like that, Penn State goes from having a man on to two outs on one pitch.
Eramo ends the inning with a fly ball to the center fielder.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 3
Top 5
Stevens pops out for the first out of the fifth inning.
Noble flies out to the right fielder. Two quick outs by Wanamaker and Penn State after a few drawn out innings.
I appear to have spoken too soon. Wanamaker appears to have been a little shaken up but stays in the game and gives up a double to the next Northwestern batter.
Wanamaker rebounds and strikes out the next Wildcat batter.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 3
Bottom 4
Bobby Jacobs draws the walk to open up the bottom half of the inning.
Picconi, unable to get the bunt down at first, strikes out swinging for out No. 1.
Steve Snyder flies out to the right fielder.
Northwestern's third baseman is unable to make the diving play as Sean Deegan gets credit for a single.
Whether the weather played a factor or not, Elliot Searer reaches base on an error after the first baseman bobbled the ball before letting it hit the ground. Deegan makes it to third on the error and Jacobs crosses home plate for Penn State's fifth run.
The runners on the corners are stranded after Jordan Steranka strikes out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Penn State 5, Northwestern 3
Top 4
We're now a third into the game and what appears to be snow is starting to come down pretty hard now. It'll be fun to watch how the weather conditions affect the rest of this game.
Wanamaker strikes out the first batter of the fourth, though the hitter thought it was a ball.
Northwestern's ninth hitter gets himself a single to put a runner on.
No damage done from the single after Northwestern's leadoff hitter grounds into a double-play.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Bottom 3
The success of the leadoff men for both teams continues as Snyder singles through the right side for a base hit.
Deegan then follows up Snyder's hit with a single up the middle. The shortstop dove and got his glove on it, but couldn't make the play.
Both runners then move up on a sacrifice bunt by Elliot Searer, and the Lions have runners on second and third with only one out for Jordan Steranka.
Steranka connects perfectly on a pitch and it leaves the park in a hurry for a three-run homer.
Penn State back out in front, 4-3, after Steranka's shot to right field, his sixth long ball of the season.
Steranka had six homeruns all of last year.
Next batter, Ben Heath, strikes out for the second out of the inning.
DeBernardis keeps the inning alive with a base hit over the shortstop's head.DeBernardis has now reached base safely in 19-straight games.
The weather continues to baffle us here today, as it is now precipitating again -- whether it's rain or snow is hard to tell. There are definitely some flurries, but it appears to be mostly rain.
Anyway, back to the game, Eramo strikes out on a full-count pitch to end the inning.
3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
End 3
Northwestern 3, Penn State 4
***
Top 3
Northwestern has now had its leadoff man on base in all three innings, as Arby Fields leads off the third with a line-drive hit to left.
Interesting side note: Fields was also Northwestern's leading rusher on the football team this year, running for 302 yards and five touchdowns.
Now Northwestern fails to lay down a sacrifice bunt, as Stevens pops it up and Steranka comes sliding in to make the catch in foul territory. One out.
But Noble makes up for it, lining a pitch into the gap in right-center for a double, moving Fields up to third on the play. Two runners in scoring position now with one out for the Wildcats' cleanup hitter, Snieder.
Snieder grounds one to the right side and, though DeBernardis fields it cleanly and gets the out at first, Fields scores from third on the play and Northwestern takes a 2-1 lead.
Lashmet, who singled his first time up, drills one off the wall in right field for an RBI double, and the Wildcats take a two-run lead.
A high pitch then gets away from Heath, allowing Lashmet to move up to third.
Wanamaker hits the batter two pitches later, putting runners on the corners with two out for Colby Everett, who had an RBI single last inning.
Everett hits one hard on the ground, but Picconi fields it and flips to Searer covering at second for the final out. Inning over, but Northwestern gets a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead.
2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Northwestern 3, Penn State 1
***
Bottom 2
Penn State now has its leadoff man on base, as Mario Eramo singles through the right side for a base hit.
Bobby Jacobs drills the first pitch to deep left-center, but the left fielder tracks it down in the deepest part of the ball park for a long out.
And the inning quickly comes to an end as Picconi tries to lay down on a bunt on the first pitch he sees, but Northwestern's third baseman makes a diving catch and then easily double Eramo off first.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB
End 2
Northwestern 1, Penn State 1
***
Top 2
Northwestern has its leadoff man on again this inning, as Chris Lashmet hits one hard up the middle for a single.
Lashmet then swipes second on the first pitch to Zach Morton. He appeared to have a good jump anyway, but Heath didn't handle the pitch cleanly, allowing Lashmet to steal the base easily.
Morton drops down a sacrifice bunt along the third baseline, and Steranka makes the play to throw him out at first. Lashmet moves up to third on the play with only one out.
Colby Everett steps up and laces one to center field for an RBI single, tying the game at one.
Chris Kontos lifts one high in the air to left, but Deegan makes the play for out No. 2.
Wanamaker records his first strikeout of the day to end the top of the second.
1 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Northwestern 1, Penn State 1
***
Bottom 1
Deegan goes down swinging to start off the night for Penn State.
It should be interesting to see what kind of factor the weather plays in today's game, with the flags still moving quite a bit out beyond the left-center field wall and the temperature hovering around 40 degrees.
Searer chops one up the middle. The shortstop gets in front of it in time, but can't make the play cleanly and Searer reaches safely.
As Steranka falls behind in the count 1-2, Searer takes off and slides into second safely. Stolen base.
Steranka strikes out swinging at the next pitch. Two outs.
But Ben Heath lines one down the left-field line for an RBI double and Penn State takes a 1-0, first-inning lead.
DeBernardis then flies out to right to end the inning, but not before Penn State jumps out in front of the Wildcats.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB
End 1
Northwestern 0, Penn State 1
***
Top 1
Arby Fields wastes no time getting things started for Northwestern, lining the first pitch into left-center for a leadoff single against Wanamaker.
Trevor Stevens lifts a fly ball to left field, where Deegan is waiting to make the catch. One away.
A ground ball is hit down the line, but Steranka makes a sliding stop at third, then pops up and throws out Chad Noble at first for the second out.
Next batter, Paul Snieder, comes up swinging at the first pitch and ground out to Searer at second, inning over.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 erros, 1 LOB
Northwestern 0, Penn State 0
***
Before we get to the starting lineups and notes on today's game, let's talk about the weather. It's been chilly and windy all day, but I never could have guessed I was going to look up and see what I just saw.
Out of nowhere, a sweeping rain came across Medlar Field, an absolute downpour with the flags straight out. And then...
Snow.
A few flakes of snow could be seen clearly falling in front of the press box, and there are still a few mixed in with the rain right now.
The rain has let up a little bit -- for now at least -- and they are continuing to work on preparing the field for first pitch at 6:35 p.m.
But now onto the starting lineups...
Penn State (12-15, 1-2):
1. Sean Deegan - LF
2. Elliot Searer - 2B
3. Jordan Steranka - 3B
4. Ben Heath - C
5. Joey DeBernardis - 1B
6. Mario Eramo - RF
7. Bobby Jacobs - DH
8. Louie Picconi - SS
9. Steve Snyder - CF
Starting Pitcher: Mike Wanamaker (2-2, 6.46 ERA)
Notes: Michael Glantz is the odd-man out today, as Picconi starts at shortstop and Searer at second. The three have been moving around the middle infield positions lately, as coach Robbie Wine said he is looking for more offensive consistency out of Picconi and defensive consistency out of Glantz.
For the second consecutive week, Penn State will compete against a top-10 team. This Saturday, the Lions (1-8, 0-1 CAA) will travel to Philadelphia for their second conference game of the year, to take on No. 8 Drexel. The Dragons (8-2, 1-0 CAA) will be a tough challenge, but the Lions need a win to avoid falling to the bottom of the CAA.
Previously against Penn State:
In 27 meetings over the years, Penn State has simply dominated Drexel. The Lions currently lead the overall series 25-2 but haven't played the Dragons since 1996, a 14-6 victory. With the Lions' recent entrance to the CAA, these two teams will be seeing a lot more of each other in the coming years.
What they've done so far:
With just two losses all year, one to No. 1 Virginia and another to No. 13 Villanova, the Dragons are having quite a year. Key wins have come against No. 16 Lafayette and Notre Dame. Most recently they've knocked off CAA foe, No. 10 Hofstra, in a close 13-11 last Saturday. Check out the videos below for some highlights from the Lafayette and Virginia games.
Offense:
The Drexel offense is paced by a balanced group of attackmen. Junior Scott Perri leads the Dragons in points with 31 off of 16 goals and 15 assists. Tied with Perri for the team-lead in assists is senior Colin Ambler, who's also added 14 goals for 29 points. Leading the teams in goals is freshman Robert Church. The Coquitlam, British Columbia native has found the back of the net 24 times this season. The Dragons move the ball well and will find each other from anywhere on the field. Take a look at the 0:45 mark of the UVA highlights for an example.
Defense:
A trio of sophomore long-poles lead the Dragons defensively. Dana Wilber has scooped up a team-high 42 ground balls this year and is tough in one-on-one situations. Frank Tufano and Brian Teuber have each picked up 16 ground balls and both stand tall at 6-foot-3 with long wingspans, ideal for poke checks.
Goaltending:
The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, goalie Mark Manos leads the conference in all major statistical categories. The sophomore boasts a 7.74 goals against average, a .602 save percentage and averages 11.2 saves per game. He's very tough to get by. At 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, Manos takes up a lot of space in between the pipes.
Keys to the game:
-The first quarter: The Lions have scored the least of their goals this season in the first quarter, just 17 of 87 total goals. Drexel, on the other hand, has scored the majority of its goals in the first quarter, 37 of 110. Penn State will have to avoid creating a large hole for themselves early to give themselves the best chance down the stretch.
-Getting good shots: Finding the back of the net against Manos will undoubtedly be a challenge. Penn State will need to take quality shots to be successful. That means being a bit more patient during possessions and waiting for an open look close to the cage to their chances.
Elsewhere in the NCAA:
-Game(s) of the week: Konica Minolta Big City Classic - Delaware vs. No. 10 Hofstra at 1 p.m., No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 2 North Carolina at 4 p.m., No. 3 Syracuse vs No. 5 Princeton at 6:30 p.m. - It'll be a college lacrosse showcase this Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Delaware and Hofstra will be a CAA showdown of some of the CAA's best. UVA and UNC are the only two unbeaten teams left in the country and are both poised for a National Championship run in May. And the Orangemen fell to the Tigers, 12-8, in last year's Big City Classic, and will be out for revenge.
-Player to watch: Virginia's Chris Bocklet - The sophomore attackman leads the Cavaliers with 30 goals this season. Bocklet is a threat to score from all over the field and will need to have a big game against the hungry Tar Heels.
Steve Shephard asked Alexandra Brockway if she would throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Penn State's baseball game against Bucknell on Tuesday.
Brockway thought, "Sure, why not?" and agreed to throw out the first pitch as a promo for the women's gymnastics NCAA Regional Championship meet Saturday at 6 p.m. at Rec Hall.
Then it hit her: she doesn't know how to throw a baseball.
"I'm thinking, 'Oh crap, I've never thrown a baseball. I'm screwed.' "
So, Brockway started working with the gymnastics trainer, who had her practice her throwing motion by throwing a tape roll.
Brockway couldn't describe the nerves as she took to the rubber, hoping she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of the players and crowd.
"All of the guys on the team are standing there waiting for me to screw up," Brockway said. "I was like, 'Pshh, watch this.' "
The practice paid off, as Brockway said she delivered a strike to the catcher - her boyfriend and Nittany Lions shortstop Mike Glantz.
"Literally, I couldn't have done it any better," she said.
Glantz, on the other hand, called the pitch "great" but wasn't sure the umpire would have tallied it as a strike.
"It was a little outside," joked Glantz, who will now probably have to climb out of the deep hole he just dug himself the next time he sees Brockway.
We'll let Questec and a relationship counselor settle that one. Regardless of whether Brockway caught the edge of the plate or Glantz had to paint the corner just a bit, both will remember the experience for a long time.
"That was so much fun," Brockway said. "My boyfriend caught it so that was awesome, and then he came up with the ball after and gave me a kiss.
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno made a special appearance at Thursday's gymnastics practice. Women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard said he had been trying to arrange for the winningest coach in college football history to give his team a pep talk before Saturday's NCAA Regional Championship.
"Well a couple of the parents actually brought it up to my wife," Shephard said. "And they said 'Wouldn't it be cool if Joe came and talked to the team, gave them a pep talk or whatever'. So I said 'Yeah, It'd be really cool. Let me call and, you know, find out if he could come."
However, Shephard didn't hear back from Paterno as he said he thinks he e-mailed the wrong address. Luckily for Shephard, though, he ran into Fran Ganter, Penn State's Associate Athletic Director for Football, at a coaches meeting Wednesday, and talked to him about the prospects of Paterno speaking to the gymnasts.
We preview Saturday's NCAA Regional Championships and discuss topics such as home gym advantage, Brandi Personett vs. LSU's Susan Jackson, and the order of events.
We also give our key Penn State gymnasts and our predictions for the meet.
Talor Battle added his list to the number of collegiate players who can work out with NBA teams on Thursday.
It was a move his family has been thinking about for the past couple weeks but decided to go public with Thursday.
"There was a lot of interest in him, and he's done primarily everything that everybody else has done that's entering the draft," Denise Murphy, Battle's mother, said Thursday. "This year the team wasn't winning, whereas most of the other guys that get picked are doing the same things he's doing, with less statistics but they're on winning teams, which proves to the NBA that they can lead a team. Talor didn't have that opportunity this year with our record. But [the move was] mostly to get a feel, see what's out there, and expose himself a little bit."
The list of players who have declared for the draft is extensive and continues to grow. So far, the guards who will enter the draft (in no particular order), includes: Kentucky's John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, Michigan's Manny Harris, Kansas' Xavier Henry, Oklahoma State's James Anderson, South Florida's Dominque Jones, Xavier's Jordan Crawford, Cincinnati's Lance Stephenson, BYU's Jimmer Fredette, Texas' Avery Bradley.
Mike DeCourcy, the Sporting News' college basketball senior writer, said Battle's 6-foot frame might limit the possibilities of him getting a look by teams this year.
"He's so small," he said. "I just don't know. I saw him Colorado [at practices for the World University Games], and he didn't leap off the page to me as an NBA player.
"He's a very good player, but I don't feel like he would ever be a first-round pick. If you're not a first-round pick, you might as well finish your college career and finish everything.
"I liked him, but I didn't know if he was quite electric enough."
DeCourcy also compared the NBA Draft to the SATs because of the NCAA's new eligiblity rules: "You can knock it out of the park the next time."
The opportunity to work out with NBA teams on league money is a great opportunity, DeCourcy said. Still, Battle will be limited by rules that state he cannot try out for a team when he has class. In other words, Battle would have to drive to a workout, or fly out on a weekend.
That is, if an NBA team expresses interest in Battle.
"And then, how interested are those particular teams?" DeCourcy said.
DeCourcy calls it one of the most ridiculous rules the NCAA has passed because it doesn't do collegiate players much good, only a lot of harm. Players have such a limited amount of time to work out with teams compared to old rules, that allowed college kids to try out up until 10 days before the draft.
Battle's mother also talked about her son's personality.
Battle's soft-spoken approach with the media has been misevaluated by others, Murphy explained:
"He's really humble. He's very low key. When I talked to him yesterday, everything was under control, and told me to stop worrying. Talor's just low key. A lot of people misintrepret a lot of his personality as either confidence, or cockiness. There's been a lot of negatives. A lot of people misintrepret his personality. He's a hard working guy, very superstituous and a hard worker. So whatever Talor gets in his life is what he worked for. Nobody has given him anything.
"I'm happy for Talor. Since he's been a little boy, every single day of his life has been fueled by basketball. Every summer, every summer vacation. It's never been the normal [life like another kid]. And his three years in college so far have been all basketball. There's a lot to it that people don't see."
Comments
If the Stat Book is any indication, Mars will get his first career start at middle hitter tomorrow night when Penn State takes on UCSB.
Let's take a look at the two's stats for last week's trip to Indiana. Stats for Turko are from the Ball State match and stats for Mars are from the IPFW match.
0: Despite getting the start and playing in all five sets, Turko didn't pick up a single ace.
1>: Mars only picked up one hitting error in his four sets of action. He also recorded a solo block.
2: Mars had two aces and two serving errors Friday.
3: Turko had three hitting errors.
4: Turko committed four serving errors.
5: To go along with his errors, Turko picked up five kills.
6: Mars had six kills and six block assists.
13: Both players recorded their stats on 13 swings.
.154: Turko's hitting percentage.
.385: Mars attacked at a much higher percentage.
All indications point to Mars getting the nod tomorrow night. We'll have to see which way coach Mark Pavlik decides to go.
The Crosse Fire writers continue their breakdown of this Sunday's game between No. 1 Northwestern and No. 18 Penn State as they highlight players to watch in the game.
The rundown: The No. 9 Nittany Lions travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. to take on the No. 11 Gauchos Friday night in the first match of a two-day, two-match West Coast swing.
Long time no see: The two teams have faced off 12 times since 1982 with UCSB holding a 7-5 series lead. The last time they met, though, was March 2007 when Penn State edged the Gauchos 3-2.
Roadies: Friday night's match will be the Lions' fourth-straight game on the road. And they're not done yet. Penn State will take on Cal State-Northridge Saturday night in Northridge, then travel to George Mason on April 17 to complete the six-match road trip. Senior captain Will Price said the traveling does take a toll but doesn't think it will affect the team. "Hopefully at this point in the season we can just shake off the jet lag and go play," he said.
A lot at stake: The Gauchos have won just one of their last seven matches -- but don't think they won't come out fighting. They are one of four teams in the hunt for the final spot in the ultra-competitive MPSF playoffs. USCB coach Rick McLaughlin said Friday night's match is extra important, because his squad is in a "must-win situation."
Check it: Watch this video (from earlier this year) of the Gaucho's star outside hitter Jeff Menzel discussing a UCSB early-season win streak and what it will take for his squad to make the MPSF tournament.
Storyline to follow: How does Penn State rebound from their recent struggles? The Lions have done pretty well against tough competition this year -- edging Hawaii in the Outrigger Invitational and upsetting Long Beach State at Long Beach -- but that doesn't mean anything this late in the season. Teams, like UCSB, are desperate and anything can happen.
Prediction: Penn State 3, UCSB 2. It won't be easy, but I think the Lions will get it done.
Half of the regular season is in the books, but Penn State baseball coach Robbie Wine doesn't believe the team's lineup is set.
Wine talked about some of his plans for the rest of the season following Tuesday's win over Bucknell. Here are some things to expect to see at each position as the season progresses.
Catcher
The combination of Ben Heath and Bobby Jacobs has worked so far. Heath should continue to get the majority of starts behind the plate, while Jacobs bats as the designated hitter. On days when Jacobs get the start at catcher, expect Heath to swap roles and DH.
First Base
Joey DeBernardis has a lock on this spot because of his consistency at the plate and in the field. His ability to come up with almost any throw to first has helped the Nittany Lions' infield immensely, while he's put together some lengthy hitting streaks with the bat.
Second Base
Elliot Searer may see some more time at second. Wine said he hasn't been happy with Louie Picconi's offense, while Searer has excelled since working his way into the lineup. If Searer can continue his success at the plate, he'll continue to see time at second.
Third Base
Jordan Steranka has started every game here and should remain at third as long as he stays healthy. He has a .303 batting average and has shown some power with five home runs.
Shortstop
This position goes hand-in-hand with second base. Wine said he's looking for Michael Glantz to improve defensively, or else he'll move Picconi to short. The middle infield should be a combination of Glantz, Picconi and Searer.
Left Field
Deegan has started all but one game this season. His batting average is probably lower than he wants at .248, and Wine said he'd like to see Deegan have more success against left handed pitchers. When he's gotten on base, he's been a threat to steal and is a perfect 17-for-17 this season. He has left field locked down for now.
Center Field
Steve Snyder has been pretty consistent during his freshman campaign. He hasn't put up great numbers with his bat, but he's come up with some big timely hits. As long as he continues to be reliable in center, he should see the majority of the time there.
Right Field
Mario Eramo and Searer have seen more time in right, while Heath Johnson continues to see less. Eramo's had more success batting than Johnson, while Searer's energy has earned him time in right. Johnson may see more action elsewhere (see below).
Starting Pitchers
Mike Wanamaker and Ryan Ignas have proven they can throw a lot of pitches and get deep in ball games as the top two starters. Neal Herring and John Walter have shown signs of promise, but both have been inconsistent. Still, expect Herring and Walter to continue to get some starts.
Relief Pitchers
David Lutz has jogged in from the bullpen more than any other Lion reliever. The lefty should continue to be a staple in the bullpen, along with emerging freshman Steven Hill. Also, don't be surprised if Heath Johnson gets in the games against Northwestern this weekend. Wine hinted that he may continue to use Johnson and DeBernardis on the mound in the future.
It's not even conference tournament time, but that doesn't mean we can't make predictions. At Above the Net, we decided to make our (probably way too early) All-American picks. Check out who made our cut -- and where the Nittany Lions fit in.
First Team
OPP Dean Bittner Long Beach State
OPP Will Price Penn State - Price's numbers this season don't exactly guarantee him a second consecutive first team selection. But the lack of depth at this position around the country will probably land him a spot.
OH Brad Lawson Stanford
OH Cory Riecks Pepperdine
OH Andre Stewart BYU
OH Joshua Walker Hawaii
S Kawiki Shoji Stanford
MH Max Lipsitz Penn State - The Lions' senior co-captain -- who currently leads the nation in hitting -- is a slam dunk first-teamer.
MH Kevin McNiff Cal State Northridge
L Erik Shoji Stanford
Second Team
OPP Jonas Umlaft Hawaii
OPP Carson Clark UC Irvine
OH Kris Berzins Loyola Chicago
OH Jordan Dufault UC Irvine
OH Tommy Pestolesi Long Beach
OH Jeff Menzel UC Santa Barbara
S Kasey Crider Pepperdine
MH Jareck Ratajczak Cal State Northridge
MH Futi Tavana BYU
L Dennis Del Valle Penn State - Dynamic, athletic and very deserving.
Honorable Mention
S Edgardo Goas - The way he's playing for the Lions, he surely deserves national recognition. Unfortunately, Shoji and Crider are just too good not to be picked.
Despite dropping a game to UCLA last Thursday, Washington remained the No. 1 team in both major polls this week after taking the series from the Bruins.
The defending national champions lost to UCLA, 1-0, but then outscored its conference rival, 10-3, during a Saturday doubleheader.
Of the 55 combined first-place votes in the two polls, 52 went to the Huskies (30-3), with the other three going to Michigan (26-5).
Besides the Wolverines, Illinois (18/19) and Ohio State (20/22) once again represented the Big Ten in the polls this week. No other Big Ten program received votes.
On Saturday, the 2010 season of the No. 14 Penn State women's gymnastics team could end, or it could live on for two more weeks. The Lions are hopeful to advance to nationals for the second straight year. But to do so, they will have to score higher than No. 11 LSU, a team that made an appearance in the Super Six last season. However, the Lions are coming off one of their best performances of the season at the Big Ten Championships where they placed second, and the gymnasts are confident in their prospects of going to Gainesville, Fla., for nationals in two weeks.
With Saturday's crucial meet just days away, I decided to take a look, once again, at Penn State's statistical leaders on each of the four events, and in the all-around, based on their Regional Qualifying Score (RQS). For events where sophomore Whitney Bencsko was in the top three, I substituted the gymnast with the next highest score in the event, as Bencsko is out for the remainder of the season.
Vault
1. Brandi Personett: 9.935 (tied for No. 3 in the nation, No. 1 in the Big Ten) - Pictured on the right
2. Sharaya Musser: 9.910 (No. 9 in nation, No. 2 in Big Ten)
3. Rosie Smith: 9.805 (No. 124 in nation, tied for No. 16 in Big Ten)
Uneven Parallel Bars
1. Natalie Ettl: 9.915 (No. 4 in nation, No. 1 in Big Ten) - Pictured on the left
2. Sharaya Musser: 9.875 (No. 20 in nation, No. 5 in Big Ten)
3. Brandi Personett: 9.855 (tied for No. 35 in nation, No. 8 in Big Ten)
Balance Beam
1. Brandi Personett: 9.890 (tied for No. 10 in nation, No. 1 in Big Ten)
2. Sharaya Musser: 9.875 (tied for No. 16 in nation, tied for No. 2 in Big Ten) - Pictured on the right
3. Allie Southard: 9.785 (tied No. 112 in nation, tied for No. 20 in Big Ten)
Talk about an Opening Day to remember. The new baseball season is officially upon us, and so far it's an exciting one. Braves outfielder Jason Heyward announced his arrival with authority, homering in his first at bat. The Red Sox topped the Yankees in a thrilling comeback. And Mark Buehrle made arguably the best play I've ever seen. We had walk-off wins, players making comebacks from injuries and even an inside-the-park home run, courtesy of D-Back Stephen Drew. It was a great Sunday and Monday. It's been a long winter, and I was immediately reminded why baseball is an awesome sport. While my Cubs didn't instill me with confidence, I'm glad to have baseball back, and I'm excited for the rest of the season.
Some other things important and not so important:
- So Brett Favre is now a grandfather. Great, now he can blame all his interceptions and bad throws on the fact that he's old. I just thought it was because he's mediocre.
- Tiger Woods makes his official return tomorrow. I bet the first commercial isn't for Gatorade Tiger.
- Donovan McNabb is ready to start the next chapter in his life. Good for him. I'd want to move on from people who irrationally hated me, too.
Video of the week: Nobody has anything on Vanderbilt's Corey Williams. The pitcher takes a line drive to the kneecap and still makes the throw to first base for the out. His knee? Shattered. That's determination.
The Nittany Lion gymnasts are some of the hardest workers in the gym, beginning practice in September and competing through the end of April. They are also some of the hardest workers in the classroom.
On Monday, nine Penn State gymnasts earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. Alexandra Brockway, Natalie Ettl, Danielle Hover, Melissa Klein, Daryl Konsevick, Heather McElwee, Brandi Personett, Rosie Smith and Allie Southard were all honored as members.
In its 16 seasons as a member of the Big Ten, Penn State has had 3,262 student athletes earn the distinction, most of any Big Ten team during that span.
Lucas was named both a McDonald's All-American and a Parade All-American earlier this year. According to the story from the Inquirer, Lucas is still in the gym working on her game even though her season is over.
Some scouts on ESPN.com have Lucas rated as one of the best shooters in the nation. With Tyra Grant's departure, the Lions will be looking for scorers and it appears Lucas has the skill set to fill that void.
After getting upset by Florida Saturday, Penn State fell two spots to No. 18 in the latest IWLCA rankings. Northwestern and Vanderbilt remained at No. 1 and No. 10, respectively.
Ohio State cracked the rankings at No. 20 for the first time since the start of the season. And for the first time in franchise history, the Gators received votes after their thrilling 13-11 victory over the Nittany Lions.
This week, we chatted with defenseman Kevin Etter. The senior has started every game this year for the Nittany Lions and has scooped up seven groundballs. Etter told us a little about his future plans and why he plays defense.
Crosse Check) What comes to mind when I say the name Anthony Basciano?
Kevin Etter) A quick-witted, spirited kid.
CC) You're a senior, so do you have any post-school plans or any jobs lined up?
KE) I actually just interviewed for a job this afternoon. I got back from that, back in Maryland. It's actually an H.R. consulting firm, and I'm hoping to land that job in a recruiting position. Hopefully I find out in the next week or two, but other than that I have no specific plans. I'm just hoping that this one situation pans out.
CC) Do you have a favorite sport other than lacrosse?
KE) Basketball. I like football, but the only other sport I played in high school was basketball.
CC) What's your favorite class you're taking this semester?
KE) Probably Physiological Psychology.
CC) What do you like about it?
KE) I just like learning about the different functions of the brain. I've always been fascinated about how the brain works, how people develop throughout their lives and what goes on and what neuro-chemicals are involved. And how people are and personalities and what chemicals make people the way they are. It's just fascinating stuff.
CC) What's your favorite place to eat on- or off-campus?
KE) I'm gonna have to go with Faccia Luna, an Italian restaurant on South Atherton.
CC) What's your favorite dish there?
KE) Probably the Meat Lovers' Pizza.
CC) How'd you get into defense when you first started playing lacrosse?
KE) When I first started playing lacrosse was probably in the sixth grade. I actually started off as an attackman, and I didn't really see too much time in that position. My coaches gave me a defensive-pole, and I just played a lot better and I just felt a lot more comfortable with a defensive-pole in my hands than a short-stick. And the rest is history.
Steve Snyder leads off the ninth inning with a walk and Sean Deegan follows that off with a free pass as well. Two men on with the Lions down one and no outs.
The pitcher Joey DeBernardis hits one to the warning track for the first out but he's still able to advance both runners over to second and third base.
Bucknell intentionally walks Jordan Steranka to load the bases. Hot hitting Ben Heath would have been up here but with the pitching move the Lions lost the DH.
Greenberg gets the job done and hits a sacrifice fly to the right fielder to bring in the tying run.
Eramo walks to load the bases and bring up Bobby Jacobs.
Jacobs draws the walk himself for the walk-off win. Despite blowing the lead a couple innings prior, the Lions win in walk-off fashion.
2 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Penn State 7, Bucknell 6
Top 9
First baseman Joey DeBernardis in to pitch the ninth inning. This is the second position player coach Robbie Wine has put on the mound tonight.
Jack Greenberg replaces him at first base.
After a quick first out, DeBernardis gets the second Bucknell batter to strike out.
Robb Scott gets a two-out single but DeBo ends any possible scoring threat by getting the next batter out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Bucknell 6, Penn State 5
Bottom 8
A quick two outs for the Nittany Lions with only two innings left in the game. Bobby Jacobs pops out and Glantz strikes out swinging.
Another quick out by Elliot Searer to end the eighth inning.
One more inning to go for the Lions to make something happen.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Bucknell 6, Penn State 5
Top 8
With only two more innnigs to go before extras, Hill gets the first batter to fly out to the right fielder.
Pitching meeting at the mound.
Hill strikes out the next batter swinging.
An error on second baseman Searer puts one on base.
The following batter gets a single and the next man up brings in the run to give Bucknell the lead. This is two straight innings now where Penn State has given up a two-out rally.
Inning over with a strikeout by Hill but not before Bucknell regains the lead.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Bucknell 6, Penn State 5
Bottom 7
DeBernardis grounds out to the Bucknell second baseman for the first out of the bottom half of the inning.
Jordan Steranka pops up for the second out. So far a quick inning for the Lions after losing their lead.
After watching Bucknell have a two-out rally, Ben Heath decides to get things going for Penn State with a double.
However, Eramo ends any possible threat with a fly ball to the center fielder.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Bucknell 5, Penn State 5
Top 7
Steven Hill is now pitching for the Lions.
Hill, coming off of a tough performance against Illinois, strikes out the first Bucknell batter.
Nice play by Deegan on his knees in left field for out No. 2.
Pinch Hitter Drew Constable gets a hit with two outs.
Bucknell working on a two-out rally now after getting back-to-back singles. The Bison have runners on first and third.
And Bucknell ties the game with a long three-run home run to left field. After a difficult game on Sunday, Hill runs into trouble here again.
A quick out ends the inning but Bucknell strikes to tie the game at five.
3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Penn State 5, Bucknell 5
***
Bottom 6
Jacobs leads off the Lions' sixth with a grounder that the third baseman couldn't handle. He reached on the error.
Glantz rips a double down the LF, and the Lions have two men in scoring position with no outs.
With the infield drawn in, Searer pokes a single through the hole between 2B and 1B. Jacobs scored on the play and Glantz moved up to third. Penn State now leads 4-2.
Snyder hit a chopper to third base. The throw home was in the dirt and Glantz beat the tag. Searer was then thrown out trying to take third. So, the Lions lead 5-2, with one out, and Snyder is on 1st.
Snyder is thrown out trying to steal second.
Deegan strikes out looking to end the inning.
2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error, 0 LOB
Bucknell 2, Penn State 5
***
Top 6
Glass leads off the inning for the Bison against Alfreno. Glass singles on a soft liner to center.
DeBernardis fields a grounder from Allen, steps on first and fires to second. Glantz's tag was a split-second late and the Lions couldn't get the double play.
Lutz is now jogging in to pitch.
It's a lefty vs. lefty matchup as Donato steps in against Lutz. Donato grounds out as Searer makes the play.
LaRosa flies out to right field for the third out.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Bucknell 2, Penn State 3
***
Bottom 5
Searer leads the inning off with a single to right.
Snyder lays down a sacrifice bunt and Searer moves up to second. One out.
Deegan singles on a slow roller down the third base line. That was his second infield single of the game.
With runners on the corners, DeBernardis steps into the box. Deegan steals second, so there are two men in scoring position for the PSU first baseman. The Bison catcher saves a wild pitch and potential run with a nice block. DeBernardis walked to load the bases.
Steranka has a chance to put the Lions in front with the bases loaded and one out. Bucknell has a conference at the mound and a new pitcher jogs in from the dugout. LHP Eric Jarrett is the new pitcher for the Bison.
A walk to Steranka scores the tying run. It's now 2-2.
Deegan scores on a wild pitch with Heath at bat. Heath walked.
Daniel Hart gets Eramo to ground into a double play to end the inning.
2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
Bucknell 2, Penn State 3
***
Top 5
Jesse Alfreno is on the mound for Penn State, so the short Heath Johnson outing ends as a success.
Brouse rips a hard grounder down the LF line for a leadoff double.
Shribman looks at two balls to get ahead in the count. Alfreno battles back to even the count at 2-2 and strikes him out. One out.
Runyan grounds out to SS for the second out.
Brouse is still standing at 2nd as Lamore comes up to the plate. He walks to put two on for Duffett.
Alfreno gets ahead in the cound, 1-2, and strikes out Duffett.
0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
Bucknell 1, Penn State 2.
***
Bottom 4
Heath steps into the box to lead the inning off. He grounds out on a slow roller to third base. One out.
Eramo earns a walk.
Jacobs steps in with a man on. He grounded out in his first AB. He hit a hanging liner that was right at the CF. It was caught for the second out.
WIth Glantz batting, Eramo moves up to 2nd on a wild pitch. Glants flies out to foul territory in left field to end the inning.
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
Bucknell 1, Penn State 2
***
Top 4
Heath Johnson hit 92 mph with his first fastball and is throwing strikes. Duffett works the count full and earns a walk.
Glass fouls a bunt back that nearly reaches the press box. Johnson gets his first career strikeout and he gets Glass swinging.
Allen singles to right-center and Bucknell has runners on the corners.
Donato pops up a bunt that Johnson catches.
LaRosa grounds out on a fielder's choice to SS. Johnson gives up no runs in the inning.
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
Bucknell 2, Penn State 1
***
Bottom 3
Searer leads off the third with a single up the middle and then steals second as the catcher was forced to double-clutch with the shortstop covering late.
Snyder follows it up with a hit to right field, allowing Searer to move up to third, and the Lions have runners on the corners with no outs for the top of the order.
A wild pitch bounces away from the catcher and Searer scores easily from third for Penn State's first run of the night. Both teams have now scored on a wild pitch tonight.
Deegan grounds one to shortstop, but beats it out for an infield single. Snyder moves up to third base.
But Deegan gets picked off first by Garone before he even throws the first pitch in the next at bat.
DeBernardis then pops out to second and the Lions now have two outs with Snyder on third for Steranka.
The first pitch is ripped to the right side, but it's right at the first baseman who makes the catch for the third out. Inning over.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
***
End 3
Bucknell 2, Penn State 1
***
Top 3
For the third-straight inning, Bucknell's leadoff man gets a hit, but this is a big one -- a solo shot to right field.
Bob Donato hits his fifth homerun of the season and gives the Bison a 2-0 lead.
LaRosa follows up Donato's homer with a single to right-center.
Cleanup hitter Andrew Brouse steps in now with LaRosa on first and nobody out. He worked a walk in his first at bat.
Brouse bounces one to third and Steranka fields it, throws to second for one out and then Searer moves it along to first to complete the 5-4-3 double play. Two outs.
Shribman lines one up the middle for a base hit that just misses hitting Walter on the mound.
The next batter also lines one up the middle, but the umpire isn't as fortunate as Walter was, as this one bounces off him. Runyan reaches first on a single and Shribman moves up to second.
If anything, the Lions may have benefited from the ball striking the umpire, as it prevented Shribman from possibly moving up to third on the play.
Runners on first and second with two outs for Lamore, who singled in his first at bat.
But Walter pitches around the pair of two-out singles, as he gets Lamore to go down swinging.
1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Bucknell 2, Penn State 0
***
Bottom 2
Mario Eramo set to leadoff the second for Penn State. Eramo has a .303 average this season to go along with four homeruns, two of which came in one game against Illinois last weekend.
Eramo fouls off a couple pitches before swinging and missing at a full-count pitch for the inning's first out.
Bobby Jacobs hits a hard grounder to the left side, but third baseman David Duffett makes the play for the second out.
Michael Glantz now steps in with two outs and nobody on, and hits one right back to the mound, where Garone makes the stop and throws him out at first.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Bucknell 1, Penn State 0
***
Top 2
Bucknell again has its leadoff man on base after another single to right field.
The next batter, David Duffett, drops down a sacrifice bunt, moving Matt Lamore up to second with one out.
The Bison's No. 9 hitter, Scott Glass, now steps up to the plate.
Walter sits Glass down on a called third strike.
Top of the order now for Bucknell as Allen, who singled in his first AB tonight, steps in.
Line drive to left field where Deegan tracks it down and makes the catch for the third out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Bucknell 1, Penn State 0
***
Bottom 1
Deegan skies one to right-center and despite never settling under it completely, the right fielder makes the catch for the first out.
DeBernardis goes down swinging for out No. 2.
Steranka steps in looking to keep the inning alive. He's hitting .301 this season with five homeruns and 14 RBI to go along with seven doubles.
A weird play as Steranka hits one toward the shortstop, who started moving to his left despite the ball going by him to the right. Steranka on first with a single.
Steranka swipes second, just his second stolen base of the season, but Heath flies out to center one pitch later to end the inning.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 error, 0 LOB
End 1
Bucknell 1, Penn State 0
***
Top 1
Ben Allen leads off the game with a hit that drops just in front of Penn State right fielder Mario Eramo.
Center fielder Bob Donato chops one to second, but it's moving too slow to turn the double play and Searer settles for getting just the out at first.
One out with a man on second for B.J. LaRosa, who leads the team with a.378 average.
A passed ball allows Allen to move up to third and then he scores on a wild pitch moments later. Bucknell leads 1-0.
LaRosa eventually works the one-out walk.
Walter seems to be having some early control problems, as he now falls behind cleanup hitter Andrew Brouse 3-0. He battles back to work a full count, though, before yet another pitch goes all the way to the backstop. Ball four.
Runners on first and second with one out and the Bison already leading 1-0. Walter has already had three pitches reach the backstop.
After a coaching visit to the mound, Walter comes back with a strikeout for the second out of the inning.
Walter settles down after the mound visit and records back-to-back strikeout to get out of the inning, allowing only the one run.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Bucknell 1, Penn State 0
***
The Nittany Lions return home today after going 1-2 in their conference-opening series at Illinois last weekend.
Penn State will take on the Bucknell Bison, who the Lions have beaten 15-straight times and are 117-28-1 against all time.
The starting lineups for tonight's game are below.
Penn State:
1. Sean Deegan - LF
2. Joey DeBernardis - 1B
3. Jordan Steranka - 3B
4. Ben Heath - DH
5. Mario Eramo - RF
6. Bobby Jacobs - C
7. Michael Glantz - SS
8. Elliot Searer - 2B
9. Steve Snyder - CF
Starting pitcher: John Walter (1-3, 7.31 ERA)
Bucknell:
1. Ben Allen - SS
2. Bob Donato - CF
3. B.J. LaRosa - C
4. Andrew Brouse - RF
5. Doug Shribman - 1B
6. Gerald Runyan - LF
7. Matt Lamore - DH
8. David Duffett - 3B
9. Scott Glass - 2B
Starting pitcher: Marcus Garone (0-0, 8.44 ERA)
Pre-game notes:
Looking at Bucknell's starting roster, it's hard to not to notice a drop off after the first five hitters. The Bison's No. 1-5 hitters are all hitting above .300, but the bottom four hitters are all hitting .250 below.
The 1-5 hitters have combined for 18 homeruns and 113 RBI, while the bottom four guys have hit just three homeruns and recorded 21 RBI.
Penn State's lineup seems to have a little more balance with the No. 6 hitter, Bobby Jacobs, carrying a team-high .418 batting average and the No. 9 hitter, Steve Snyder, having knocked in 17 runs on 19 hits this season.
Bucknell and Penn State have played a couple common opponents, with the Bison already taking on Illinois and Colombia earlier this season.
Coach Mark Pavlik gave his team the day off from practice yesterday, so we didn't have a Monday Minute. Instead, we're bringing you a Tuesday Minute... with Pav.
But first, we have our regular Pavcast, which includes Penn State's head coach discussing the team's upcoming West Coast trip, why the No. 9 Nittany Lions don't have a set lineup every night -- and why that might not be a bad thing.
Infielder Louie Picconi is an enigma. So far this season, the senior has batted multiple times in the second, eighth and ninth spot in the batting order. And through 26 games, I don't know what to make of his stats. Here are his numbers in each spot of the lineup before I go any further.
Batting Second- In nine games, Picconi has gone 9-for-30 for a .300 batting average. He has scored five runs with no runs batted in. He has stuck out 10 times and has drawn nine walks.
Batting Eighth- In 13 games, Picconi has gone 7-for-39 for a .178 batting average. He has scored seven runs with two runs batted in. He has struck out 14 times and has drawn 10 walks.
Batting Ninth- In four games, Picconi has gone 2-for-12 for a .167 batting average. He has scored three runs with two runs batted in. He has struck out three times and drawn three walks.
So looking at the stats it's pretty obvious Picconi is best suited for the No. 2 spot in the lineup. He averages a hit and a walk a game while hitting in the second hole. His strike outs have been a problem, and coach Robbie Wine acknowledged that last week but his high walk totals have shown he has patience at the plate. The major difference is that when he is batting high in the order he is producing hits. So it's settled, Wine should bat Picconi second from now on. Well hold on and wait a minute, there is one important statistic not factored in above - wins. Here is Penn State's win-loss totals in each circumstance (Picconi has started every game for the Nittany Lions so far).
Batting Second- Penn State has gone 2-7
Batting Eighth- Penn State has gone 8-5
Batting Ninth- Penn State has gone 1-3
While the stats don't match the wins and losses, it is evident the team is most successful when Picconi is at the bottom of the lineup. First baseman Joey DeBernardis has been hitting second in Picconi's place lately instead of his former spot in the middle of the batting order and the sophomore slugger has been hot. There's no way to tell if this is the main reason why Penn State has been winning more with Picconi at the bottom but it may be a major factor. But what we do know is that what Wine is doing with his senior infielder in the batting order appears to be working a little bit better. Since moving him back down to either eighth or ninth, the Lions have gone 5-3. And while Picconi's numbers haven't been as good as when he was batting second midway through the season, he doesn't seem to mind as long as he can do whatever is best for the team.
This week we caught up with junior attacker Mary Dean, who scored two goals and an assist in Saturday's loss to Florida.
1. Favorite movie?
The Notebook
2. TV show?
Keeping up with the Kardashians
3. Craziest teammate?
Marisa Lozano
4. Favorite sport other than lacrosse?
basketball
5. Best part of spring?
the weather
6. Isidor in a sentence.
She truly wants whats best for her players and she's very motivated to have a successful season.
7. Thoughts on McNabb going to the Redskins?
I'm sad about it. As much as I'm an Eagles fan, I'm more of a baseball fan when it comes to pro sports. I liked him as a person. I don't think he was gonna win us a Super Bowl.
8. Baseball prediction?
Phillies
9. Favorite book?
The Lovely Bones
10. Career plans?
I would like to be an athletic director at the collegiate level. I'd like to coach first at some point.
After Bill Lloyd suffered a minor shoulder injury against UMass this past Saturday, x-rays taken today revealed that the junior midfielder has sprained the acromioclavicular joint and the rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
The injury is not too serious, Lloyd said, and should keep him sidelined for 7-10 days.
"I'm just gonna see how this week goes and see how I heal," the junior said. "It'd be a stretch to play this weekend, but that's going to be my goal."
Lloyd, who's totaled four points and picked up nine groundballs this season, was scrambling for a groundball on Saturday, when he was hit hard by a UMass defender from his left side.
Forced to leave the game, Lloyd spent the rest of the game icing his shoulder on the bench.
"It was just one of those loose ball situations that get pretty chaotic," he said. "I just didn't have my head up so I didn't see him coming, and he caught me right on the shoulder."
Despite a bit of swelling and discomfort, his shoulder has been feeling better every day since the injury happened, he said. He's continuing to ice the shoulder consistently and is hoping to be back as soon as possible.
Though it's unlikely he will play this weekend when the Nittany Lions travel to Drexel for their second CAA game of the season, Lloyd's teammates recognize the importance of having him healthy for the long run.
"Billy's a guy that really gets our team going. When he's playing well he can really make guys miss and get to the cage," junior middie Greg Brown said. "We're gonna miss him this weekend for sure if he's not able to make it back, but we want him healthy."
In its first ever CAA game, Penn State fell just short of UMass, 10-8 on Saturday. The Lions played well enough to win but fell victim to a few mental lapses and missed opportunities down the stretch. Here a few key statistical figures from the game.
12...face-offs won by Joe Britt in 16 chances.
7...face-offs won collectively by the Lions in their previous game against Bucknell.
4...saves by Dave Baker in the fourth quarter, keeping the Lions alive in the final 15 minutes.
0...goals by Matt Mackrides, his first game of the year without scoring.
7...different Penn State players who scored a goal against the Minutemen.
2...goals scored by Colton Vosburgh, the junior's second multi-goal game of the season.
12...shots stopped by Baker, his third game of the year with 10-plus saves.
4...games this year that have been decided two goals or less this season for the Lions.
1...goal scored by senior co-captain Brian Shea, his second of the season and his first since the Lions' game against Duke on Mar. 20.
11...Drexel's ranking in the most recent USILA poll, and the Lions will hope to rebound against Drexel this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Philadelphia.
The Penn State men's volleyball team notched two victories on the road.
And that's just about all setter Edgardo Goas said was good about the No. 9 Nittany Lions' wins over No. 15 Ball State and unranked IPFW last week.
"Well [Alan] Mars came in to play in the middle, and he did a really good job and we did battle to get the wins, but overall it wasn't that good," Goas said. "We made a bunch of hitting and blocking errors, so I'm not completely happy with the effort."
The team, which arrived back in State College at around 5 a.m. Saturday, was given the weekend off. And Goas said that's exactly what the Lions needed to get back in the swing of things. They'll take their second trip out to California next week where they'll be tested against two MPSF powers, No. 5 Cal State-Northridge and No. 10 UC Santa Barbara.
"We got some rest, which was really nice," he said. "And now we have all week to prepare for when we go back out to California and play some good teams."
Along with Penn State's 10-8 loss to UMass on Saturday, the rest of the CAA was also in action on Saturday in the conference's opening weekend of competition.
Drexel 13 - Hofstra 11
The No. 11 Dragons handed the No. 8 Pride their second straight conference loss on Saturday in Philadelphia. Drexel's Robert Church had a career day, unloading seven goals on Hofstra's Rob Bellairs, who had eight saves in the loss. Just a freshman, Church put in the game winner for the Dragons with just 50 seconds remaining in the game. Drexel came from behind, scoring the last four goals of the game to claim its third win over a top-10 team this season.
Hofstra was led by junior Jamie Lincoln's three goals. Fellow junior Stephen Bentz added two more of his own in the losing effort.
Towson 9 - Delaware 7
The Tigers pulled off the upset on Saturday, taking down the Blue Hens in Towson. Receiving a hat-trick and an assist from attackman Christian Pastirik, Towson (2-5, 0-1 CAA) pulled past Delaware (5-5, 0-1 CAA), holding the Blue Hens to seven goals, matching their season-low. Delaware's Noah Fossner had 12 saves on the day, and Curtis Dickson, Martin Cahill and John Austin each scored twice, but it wasn't enough to handle the Tigers, who won the groundball battle, 34-24. The win was Towson's third straight against the Blue Hens.
It Was Over When...: The Nittany Lions went up 4-0 to begin the second set. They started the match sloppy -- recording 12 attack errors en route to losing the first set -- but quickly turned things around and showed why they were the better team.
Player of the Match: Max Lipsitz. 23 kills on .588 hitting. Three digs, nine blocks and 27.5 points. The numbers should speak for themselves.
Stat of the Match: .034 -- IPFW's average hitting percentage through the last three sets. After allowing the Mastodons to hit .421 in the first set, the Lions sharpened up their defense -- and IPFW made some careless errors -- to change the complexion of the match.
Surprise of the Match: Alan Mars. The redshirt junior -- who recently made the switch to middle hitter -- entered as a replacement for freshman Nick Turko early in the match and was outstanding. He had six kills, including two service aces, on .385 hitting while also recording seven blocks. It'll be interesting to see who coach Mark Pavlik gives the nod to when the Lions face UC Santa Barbara next week.
Quotable: "We couldn't maintain a high level throughout the night." said IPFW assistant coach Ryan Perrotte.
What's Next: The Nittany Lions embark on their second West Coast trip next week when they face No. 10 UC Santa Barbara on Friday then No. 5 Cal State Northridge Saturday.
Tom Copain here with you on a beautiful afternoon from Jeffrey Field as Penn State plays its first ever conference game in the CAA against the No. 9 Massachusetts Minutemen. The crucial part of the schedule starts now for the Nittany Lions. Penn State needs to finish in the top four of the conference standings to qualify for the CAA tournament and keep their hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid alive. We're just about ready to go here, so stay right here for live updates from Jeffrey Field.
First Quarter
Unfortunately we're having some Internet problems here in the press box, so we'll be updating the live blog as much as possible. It was a very defensive quarter, with a lot of physical play on both sides. The Nittany Lions struck first with 11:51 left in the quarter on a Nick Dolik goal, but UMass answered with two goals before the quarter ended. Penn State had a minor scare when goalie Dave Baker was momentarily down after a slash from a UMass player, but got up and was uninjured.
End of first quarter - UMass 2, Penn State 1
Second Quarter
Penn State is faring much better on faceoffs so far today. We'll see if that plays a big role in the outcome.
So far, the Lions are hanging around with the Minutemen. Colton Vosburgh scores early in the quarter to tie the game.
14:04 left, Penn State 2, UMass 2
The Minutemen answer quickly however. Senior midfielder Christian Haim beats Baker with a shot.
12:05 left - UMass 3, Penn State 2
UMass starting to find its stride offensively. Freshman attacker Will Manny with a beautiful goal, going behind his back and lifting a high shot over Baker's left shoulder.
10:51 left - UMass 4, Penn State 2
Minutemen possibly starting to pull away now. Another UMass goal, this time it's a low shot that bounces between Baker's legs. Penn State calls timeout to try and get things back under control.
UMass 5, Penn State 2
The timeout definitely seemed to help the Lions, as Penn State answers the Minutemen run with a run of its own. Chris Hogan takes a pass from Dolik and rips a shot past goalie Tim McCormack to cut the lead to two, then Kyle Van Thof scores shortly after and Penn State is right back in the game.
UMass 5, Penn State 4
Penn State has the momentum but UMass gets a big goal right before the half. Steve D'Amario throws a shot toward the net and it flutters past Baker into the net. Penn State has a chance at the end of the half, but can't get a shot through
Halftime - UMass 6, Penn State 4
Third Quarter
Penn State comes out strong and cuts the lead back down to one. Colton Vosburgh gets his second of the game, firing a shot past McCormack
UMass 6, Penn State 5
But every time Penn State has scored, UMass seems to have an answer. This time is no different. The Minutemen get two more goals, including another shot that beats Baker between the legs.
UMass 8, Penn State 5
Penn State cuts the lead back to two. Freshman attacker Billy Gribbin gets on the scoresheet with a goal assisted by Hogan. UMass has a chance to score late in the quarter, but a shot goes wide of the net.
End of third quarter - UMass 8, Penn State 6
Fourth Quarter
Penn State has an early chance as Dolik makes a great play to keep the ball in bounds and get it to Basciano, but Basciano's feed to Hogan is broken up. Meanwhile, Baker makes a great diving save at the other end to keep the UMass lead at two.
Another Baker save, this one on a low shot. That leads to Penn State going back down the field and Hogan finding Brian Shea for a goal.
10:34 left - UMass 8, Penn State 7
Shea has a golden chance to tie the game but it hits the outside of the net. UMass counters with a goal to put the lead back at two, but Anthony Basciano counters with a goal.
UMass 9, Penn State 8
Baker makes two solid saves to keep the deficit at one. The first one ricochets off his chest, the second is a long range shot that Baker catches in the pocket of his stick.
Penn State has a long possesion but cannot convert. Instead UMass takes possession on a crease violation.
2:05 left - UMass 9, Penn State 8
Billy Davis makes a big defensive play to get possesion back for the Lions. Penn State uses its last timeout with 1:13 left in the fourth
Shea can't handle the ground ball out of a big scrum and goes out of bounds giving possession to UMass. The Minutemen get an open net goal and take a two-goal lead with 38 seconds left.
A long shot for Penn State goes wide as time expires
This Saturday, the Lions (1-7) welcome No. 9 UMass to Jeffrey Field for a noontime start. UMass (6-2, 1-0 CAA) is Penn State's first CAA opponent this season and will be looking to make a statement early in a conference stacked with talent.
Previously against Penn State:
The Minutemen currently hold a 7-3 all-time advantage over the Lions, most recently defeating Penn State 9-8 last season in Amherst. Matt Mackrides and Colton Vosburgh each scored a pair of goals in that game, but Massachusetts' four-goal second quarter proved to be the difference.
What they've done so far:
Having beaten No. 8 Hofstra 11-9 on Mar. 27, UMass sits atop the CAA rankings as the only team with a conference win. The week before, they took down No. 16 Brown in an 11-10 barn burner, and also have quality wins against Providence and Sacred Heart this season. But the Minutemen have had trouble against other Ivy League teams, having fallen to Yale and Harvard by one goal in each game. Here's some highlights from the big win against Hofstra.
Offense:
Though very young at attack, the UMass offense is playing beyond its years. Sophomore Art Kell (see below for his highlight reel) leads the Minutemen in points, goals and assists (33, 21 and 12) and is fifth in the CAA with 2.62 goals per game. Joining Kell at attack is freshman Will Manny, whose 14 goals are tied for second on the team. From the midfield, senior Bobby Hayes and sophomore Anthony Biscardi have amounted 22 and 21 points, respectively.
Defense:
The UMass defensive unit is big and experienced. Redshirt senior Diogo Godoi, at two-time honorable mention All-American, is fast and strong at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He's only picked up 16 groundballs this year but can cover just about anybody. Handling defensive duties with Godoi are junior Travis Tripucka and sophomore Tom Celentani, who have scooped up 29 between the two of them this year.
Goaltending:
In the cage, Tim McCormack is giving up 9.64 goals a game this year and has 78 saves. The sophomore turned away a career-high 17 shots in UMass' win over Brown earlier this season, proving he can step up in the biggest of games.
Key to the game:
-Intensity: As my beat partner Bill Lanids recently reported,, the Lions have been having trouble playing focused and energized for a full 60 minutes. UMass is a very good team and will take advantage of any mental lapses Penn State makes. PSU needs to be pumped up from the get-go, and it will need to retain that energy for the whole game to get its first conference win.
-Clears: UMass does a great job clearing the ball, converting 85.7 percent of opportunities. If the Lions can get pressure on McCormack and those long poles and create some confusion, they may be able to pick up some easy transition goals.
Elsewhere in the NCAA:
-Game of the week: No. 1 Virginia at No. 4 Maryland, Saturday 8:20 p.m. - We've got a potential national semifinal matchup Saturday in the Cavs and Terps. Chris Bocklet and his 26 goals will lead UVA to College Park to test goalie Brian Phipps and a stingy Maryland defense.
-Player to watch: Brown's Andrew Feinberg - The junior attackman leads the Bears in goals with 18. Feinberg had a hat trick in his last game, an 11-10 loss to Duke on Mar. 30. He'll be needed again when the Bears take on No. 5 Princeton this Saturday.
It Was Over When...: Penn State jumped to a 5-1 lead to begin the fifth set. The persistent Cardinals forced the No. 9 Nittany Lions to a fifth and decisive set. But that's where the Lions' experience and talent took over. A quick Penn State start to the set and Ball State didn't stand a chance.
Player of the Match: Max Lipsitz. 16 kills on .556 hitting. Mr. Consistency's production will be important to the Lions as they try to break out of their slump.
Stat of the Match: .305 - Ball State's hitting percentage. It was 65 points more than the Lions' .240 hitting on the match. Even with some offensive struggles, Penn State still figured out a way to grind out the victory.
Surprise of the Match: The Lions didn't begin the match with fire. After an embarrassing loss to unranked Rutgers-Newark last Saturday, one would think Penn State would come out looking to prove something. But they were inconsistent and sloppy in the first set -- hitting a lowly .175 with nine errors.
Check it: Here are some highlights from the match, courtesy of Ball State Student Media:
Sue Sofarnos, who coached her daughter in the past, passes on her fair share of advice.
"We discuss the general outline of the game, but because she has lacrosse knowledge, we get in the details more than any other mother/daughter would," Hayley Sofarnos said. "It's good to bounce ideas off each other. She's always got plenty of information and knowledge to give me."
Sue Sofarnos said she only gives advice if her daughter asks and doesn't contradict anything coach Suzanne Isidor is pushing. Hayley admitted though she appreciates her mom's help, it's sometimes nice just to have a mother to talk to and not a coach.
Ricky Mattei 
Former Penn State forward Jason Yeisley, who currently plays for FC Dallas, was surprised to hear of Barry Gorman's departure from the Nittany Lion soccer program.Yeisley hasn't talked to Gorman yet but plans to do so in the next couple of days. Yeisley said he talked to some of his former teammates via phone calls after practice yesterday.To Yeisley, Gorman was the coach who gave him an opportunity to play at a Division I program even though he wasn't a top-notched recruit coming out of Salisbury High School.As to why Gorman left?"I can't say reason without speculation," he said.
