Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Penn State
Indiana Suffers Tenth One-Run Setback at Penn State
4/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 28, 2006
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In its 10th one-run loss of the season, the Indiana baseball team was handed a 5-4 loss by Penn State in the opener of a four-game set at Beaver Field on April 28. The Hoosiers (15-24, 5-12 Big Ten) are now 3-10 in one-run contests, including a 2-5 mark in league games. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions improved to 8-9 in the Big Ten and 15-25 overall.
Junior second baseman Keith Haas (3-for-5, 1 run, 1 steal), senior center fielder Reggie Watson (2-for-4, 1 RBI) and senior left fielder Jay Brant (2-for-3, 1 run, 1 steal) combined to go 7-for-12 in the top three spots in the order, but it was not enough as IU stranded 11 runners, including five in the final two innings.
Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, the Hoosiers battled back when junior third baseman Steve Head singled with one down and raced around on a two-bagger into the left-center field gap by sophomore designated hitter Jon Fixler to slice the deficit to 5-4. PSU starter Alan Stidfole hit junior pinch-hitter Michael Nilles and Means beat out a slow roller to short to load the bases, but Stidfole halted the rally, getting freshman catcher Billy O'Conner to pop out and Haas to ground out to maintain a one-run edge.
In its final at-bat, Indiana threatened again as Watson and Brant opened the ninth with back-to-back base hits, removing Stidfole from the ballgame. Junior first baseman Ben Greenspan laid down a sacrifice bunt off of reliever Matt Ogrodnik, but the southpaw retired Head on a foul pop to first baseman Cory Wine and popped senior pinch-hitter Zach Boswell up to seal the series opener and his second save of the season.
IU wasted a second straight strong outing from starter Clint Crosier (2-4). The senior southpaw pitched into the seventh, surrendering just two earned runs on six hits with two bases on balls and four punchouts.
Stidfole (3-2) went eight-plus and gave up two earned runs while limiting the damage on 13 Hoosier hits, two walks and three hits batsmen.
Haas led off the ballgame with a double just inside the right-field line and moved to third following a groundout by Watson. After Brant got hit by a pitch, Stidfole threw to first as Brant attempted to steal second. However, Brant beat Wine's throw to second, and Haas touched home with the first run of the contest. The two swipes put IU over the 100-steal mark for the first time since 1999 (104) and just the 11th time in school history.
Left fielder Lance Thompson then dropped a flyball off the bat of Greenspan to put runners on second and third for Head, who grounded out to second to score Brant for a 2-0 Hoosier lead.
Crosier retired the first six batters he faced before a leadoff walk to shortstop Scott Gaffney. Gaffney eventually tallied an unearned run when he crossed home on a bouncing ball just out of the reach of Haas into center field by second baseman Matt Cavagnaro to make it 2-1 through three innings.
The next inning, the Nittany Lions used back-to-back base hits to put runners on first and third with one down, but Crosier escaped the jam without any damage. The Corydon, Ind., native fielded a Gaffney bunt and looked designated hitter Aaron Greenfield back to third before going to first to get Gaffney. Wine then flied out to Means to end the rally.
Indiana took advantage of Penn State's missed opportunity the following half inning with a single tally. O'Conner opened the frame with a base knock back through the box and advanced to third on a shot up the middle by Haas and a fielding error by center fielder Garrett Field. Watson brought O'Conner in with a sacrifice fly to stretch the IU lead to 3-1.
It was the Hoosiers turn to miss a golden opportunity to score in the top of the sixth, and the Lions turn to take advantage in the bottom half of the stanza. Indiana left men on first and third with one down, and PSU knotted the game at 3-3 with two more unearned runs, the second of which came in the same scenario IU garnered its first score, except Gaffney stayed in a rundown long enough to allow Thompson to plate the game-tying tally.
Crosier exited the game following a leadoff walk and single, making way for right-hander David Trager. Trager grabbed a bunt by right fielder Brian Ernst to force the lead runner at third and left the game in favor of right-hander Chris McCombs. After forcing Cavagnaro to fly out to Brant, third baseman Scott Gummo delivered a two-run double just out of a diving Brant's reach to put the Nittany Lions ahead, 5-3.
The teams return to the field for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 29. First pitch for the series finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30.
