May 12, 2013
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Penn State baseball team completed a three-game set at Illinois on Sunday afternoon, falling 5-4 at Illinois Field. The Nittany Lions move to a 12-34 overall season record with a 3-18 mark in the Big Ten, while the Fighting Illini improve to 31-15 and 12-9.
After being held scoreless the first five innings of the contest, the Illini tied things up by the bottom of the seventh, and posted their game-winning run in the eighth inning. With sophomore David Kerian resting on third with no outs, redshirt sophomore Reid Roper stepped up with a base hit chopped up the middle to bring home Kerian. Despite a double from freshman Jason Goldstein moments later, the Lions went on to shut down Illinois for the remainder of the inning. However, the Penn State offense was unable to overcome the Illini bullpen, setting the score at 5-4 at the conclusion of the ninth.
Redshirt sophomore Drasen Johnson earned the win for Illinois, firing one hitless inning with one strikeout to move to a 2-1 record on the season. Earning his fifth save of the year, redshirt senior Bryan Roberts held the Lions scoreless with just one hit allowed to close out the contest. Sophomore John Kravetz made the start for the Illini, firing 7.0 innings with eight hits and two earned runs allowed. Kravetz struck out five and walked four before he was relieved by Johnson.
Freshman Nick Hedge (Winnetka, Ill.) posted a tremendous performance to start for Penn State, recording 5.0 scoreless innings of work with just one hit allowed and two strike outs. Leading the Lions at the plate, junior Alex Farkes (Boston, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, collecting his seventh multiple-hit game of the season. Freshman Tyler Kendall (Boynton Beach, Fla.) collected two RBIs and a hit, while freshman James Coates (Girard, Ohio) and redshirt senior Elliot Searer (Lewistown, Pa.) each went 2-for-5. Searer tallied a run, as did redshirt freshman Ryky Smith (York, Pa.) and redshirt junior Steve Snyder (West Chester, Pa.), who each collected a hit, as well.
Penn State jumped out to its first lead of the series in the top of the second, with Kendall stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded and ripping a hit right up the middle to drive in Smith and Novak. They were the rookie's seventh and eighth RBIs of the season. Extending the damage the following inning, three consecutive base hits from Snyder, Searer and Coates, including two bunt singles from the senior and the rookie, would leave the bases loaded once again for Farkes. Knocking a base hit through the right side, Farkes allowed Snyder and Searer to cross home plate, each tallying their 85th career run and giving Penn State a 4-0 lead.
After notching its first run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth, a three-run showing from Illinois would knot the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning. With senior Davis Hendrickson resting on second and Roper on third, junior Thomas Lindauer came to plate and ripped a hit through the left side for two RBIs. Following stealing second, Lindauer was able to cross home plate himself on a base hit to center field from redshirt junior Jordan Parr, tying the contest heading into the eighth.
Roper's game-winning RBI the following inning would seal the win for the Illini, leaving the sophomore with two hits, one run and an RBI on the day. Goldstein also went 2-for-3, while Lindauer went 1-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hendrickson and Jordan Parr each collected a hit, with Hendrickson tallying a run and Parr earning an RBI.
The Lions return to action on Tuesday, May 14 when the squad hosts Villanova at 3:35 p.m. for the final non-conference contest of the season. Penn State will then welcome Michigan State for the final Big Ten series of 2013, playing a three-game set from May 16-18.
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