Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Penn State
Bucknell Baseball Edged by Penn State, 6-5
3/31/2009 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 31, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ben Heath had a two-out single up the middle, scoring Louie Picconi from second base in the bottom of the eighth inning, to break a 5-5 deadlock as the Penn State baseball team defeated Bucknell 6-5 Tuesday evening at a breezy Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Bison scored four runs in the top of the eighth to tie the score at 5-5.
Bucknell (11-14) pounded out 12 hits, including three by Bob Donato (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) and two apiece by Ben Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata), Dane Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg), Andrew Brouse (Kreamer, Pa./Midd-West) and David Duffett (Pittsburg, Pa./North Allegheny), but left 14 runners on base.
The Bison trailed 5-1 entering the top of the eighth, but sent nine hitters to the plate in the inning and scored four runs. Zachary Brown led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on the second hit of the game by Duffett. After a strikeout by Bret Sokirka (Wyoming, Pa./Wyoming Area), Allen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Donato then laced a double to left-center, scoring two runs and making the score 5-3.
Following Donato's double, Penn State brought in reliever Scott Kelley, one of its top starting pitchers. Kelley, who was throwing in the low-90s, struck out Grandizio, but Brouse followed with a two-run single to tie the score at 5-5. Brouse, who was 2-for-4 in the game and leads the Patriot League in RBIs, drove in three runs total, giving him 32 this year.
Penn State (15-10), which won for the eighth time in its last 10 games, had two of its first three hitters in the bottom of the eighth reach base on walks by Alex Cillo (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township). Michael Dallanegra (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) replaced Cillo and got Jordan Steranka to fly out to left for the second out. Doug Shribman (Marblehead, Mass./Belmont Hill) then moved to the mound from first base and on his second pitch Heath had his single right back up the middle that scored Picconi with what proved to be the winning run.
Bucknell threatened in the ninth as Duffett and Sokirka both drew one-out walks, but Allen grounded into a double play that ended the game.
Bucknell, which used eight pitchers in the game, was competitive with the Nittany Lions throughout. In fact, Penn State, which totaled eight hits in the contest, had just three hitters step to the plate in five of the eight innings. However, they scored all their runs in the other three innings.
The Nittany Lions went up 3-0 in the bottom of the second when Steranka and Rick Marlin each had RBI singles and Sean Deegan recorded an RBI triple off Bison starter Daniel Hart (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees), who pitched the first two innings, was the only Bucknell pitcher to log more than one inning.
Penn State added on two runs in the bottom of the fifth when Picconi had an RBI double off Andrew Clarke (Montgomery, Texas/Montgomery). In the top half of the inning Bucknell had scored its first run when Brouse grounded to short and Allen scampered home from third.
Bucknell had the leadoff hitter reach base in four of the last five innings and threatened in the seventh when Andrew Loucks was at the plate with the bases loaded and just one out. However, the senior who had doubled in his previous at-bat, grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Paul Cianciolo started the game for Penn State and went seven innings and scattered nine Bucknell hits. Mike Franklin relieved him and yielded four runs and two hits in 0.1 innings.
Bucknell's six relievers combined to allow just four hits and three runs in seven innings of work.
The top four hitters in Bucknell's lineup (Allen, Donato, Grandizio, Brouse) combined to go 9-for-19 with five runs batted in and three runs scored.
Bucknell has now lost to Penn State by a 6-5 score two times in the last three years. The Bison have not defeated the Nittany Lions since 1998, a span of 14 games. The two teams will meet again next Wednesday, April 8.
The Bison will return to Patriot League play this weekend when they host Lafayette at Depew Field. Doubleheaders will begin each day at 12 p.m. Bucknell's seniors will be recognized prior to Sunday's doubleheader. Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast on WVBU 90.5 and SportsJuice.com.
