April 5, 2009
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Penn State baseball team collected 20 hits and two players had four RBI games as the Nittany Lions trounced defending Big Ten champion Michigan, 16-5, in Ann Arbor, Mich. in the rubber game of the series. Penn State takes two out of the three games from the Wolverines to win its first series against Michigan since 2007.
Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had four hits, four RBIs, a home run and was a triply shy of a cycle.
The 11 runs stands as the largest margin of victory over a Michigan (18-10 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) team. Penn State (17-12 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) previously accomplished the feat in April of 2006. The margin of victory also ties the largest of the season.
Individual game records were set for several Nittany Lions. Louie Picconi (North Merrick, N.Y) had four RBIs on two hits and reached four times, and Landon Nakata (Honolulu, Hawai'i) broke his personal record for most hits in a game with a 4-for-6 performance.
Mike Lorentson (Springfield, Pa.) fanned eight batters - two more than his previous career high. Lorentson went four innings, giving up three earned runs on three hits. Two-thirds of the outs recorded by the lefthander were strikeouts.
Paul Cianciolo (Charleston, S.C.) claimed his second win of the season. Cianciolo relieved Lorentson and was lights-out. The senior from Charleston, S.C. needed only 51 pitches in his five innings pitched, allowing one earned run and five hits to go along with his two strikeouts.
Michigan hitters collected eight hits on the games, two of which were solo home runs.
Rick Marlin (Orlando, Fla.) and Bobby Jacobs (West Chester, Pa.) had three hits on the game. Marlin had two doubles, and Jacobs scored three times. Eight of the nine starters for Penn State had at least one safety.
It is the second time this season Penn State scattered 20 hits. It previously racked 20 against Lehigh on March 8 when it won 15-5 over the Mountain Hawks.
Penn State scored first in its first set of at-bats, benefited from several misplays by the Wolverines. Nakata singled to the left side and advanced to second on a high pickoff throw by catcher Coley Crank. Nakata then moved to third on a wild pitch before Cory Wine (Stillwater, Okla.) hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
Ryan LaMarre jacked his third home run of the series during Michigan's first time to the plate. Kevin Cislo and Kenny Fellows walked to begin the inning but Lorentson sent Cislo packing with a pickoff move to first. LaMarre launched his ninth homer of the season with a ball that carried in the wind over the right field fence.
Lorentson escaped trouble in the second inning. With runners on first and second with no outs, the southpaw recorded three straight punch outs batters to leave the Nittany Lions down one run.
The Nittany Lions scored their third run in the third inning when Steranka doubled in Mike Deese (Roswell, Ga.).
Penn State claimed the lead in the fourth inning. Marlin and Jacobs both notched singles up the middle of the infield, narrowly missing the reach of shortstop Anthony Toth. Picconi grounded to second, giving the Nittany Lions their third run, and Blake Lynd (Deer Park, Texas) sacrificed to centerfield for a two-run margin.
Michigan quickly tied the game in its turn in the bottom of the fourth. Crank cranked a ball over the leftfield wall to lead off. The Wolverines made it a 4-4 game on an errant throw on a potential double play that yielded one run.
The Nittany Lions scored five runs on five hits to retake the lead in the fifth inning. Nakata and Deese drove starting pitcher Travis Smith out of the game with a pair of singles. Mike Wilson's first pitch to Wine netted a run with a liner to second. A well-executed hit-and-run play yielded a Steranka liner that tallied another run. A catcher's interference to Ryan Boonie (State College, Pa.) allowed Jacobs to total another run, and Nakata gave Penn State a five-run advantage with his second single of the game.
Steranka blasted his team-high third home run - the team's first in nine games - in a three-run sixth inning. The freshman from Pittsburgh, Pa. clouted a ball to deep right-center for a two-run jack.
Penn State returns to action on Tuesday against Pittsburgh at Medlar Park at Lubrano Field at 6:35 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Jordan Steranka extended his hitting streak to 12 games...Steranka batted 7-for-15 (.467) for the weekend.