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University Park, Pa.; May 13, 2006 - The Penn State baseball team was shut out for the second straight game by Michigan 2-0 in game one of Saturday's doubleheader but rebounded by pounding out 15 hits against four Wolverine pitchers to gain a split of the doubleheader with a 13-2 win in game two. Seth Whitehill picked up his second straight win by throwing six innings in game two while Matt Cavagnaro had a career-high six RBI and was just a single short of hitting for the cycle to lead the Lions.

For the fourth straight week, game one starter Mark Wyner turned in a quality start but came up short of the win. After allowing just two hits in a loss last weekend at Purdue, Wyner threw his fourth complete game of the year and his second straight, going all seven innings and allowing just six hits and two runs. He also struck out two and walked just one but was outdueled by the combination of Michigan's Chris Fetter and Ben Jenzen, who threw a combined shutout to blank the Nittany Lions in back-to-back games for the second time this year. Fetter went six and two-thirds of an inning, allowing four hits and striking out three, while Jenzen came on to get the final out and strand the bases loaded. Penn State was limited to just two hits, two each from Aaron Greenfield and Cory Wine.

The Wolverines scored single runs in the second and fifth innings. In the second, Doug Pickens drew the only Michigan walk of the game with one out and came all the way around to score from first and Adam Abraham's double to left. In the fifth, Mike Schmidt drove a one-out single through the left side, went to second on a groundout to first, and scored on Leif Mahler's single through the left side, sliding in just ahead of Lance Thompson's throw from left. Thompson saved at least one more run and possibly two from scoring in the sixth when, with a runner at second, he made a leaping catch up against the wall in left center of another shot off the bat of Abraham, possibly robbing him of a home run and ending the inning with the score remaining 2-0.

The Nittany Lions had just three baserunners prior to the seventh inning, one of whom was picked off. In the seventh, with two outs, Greenfield, who was 2-for-3 in game one, doubled and Wine followed with an infield single to second as the pitcher Fetter was late in covering first base, putting runners at the corners. Jenzen came on and walked Scott Gaffney to load the bases but came back and struck out Travis Laird to end the game.

After Michigan had scored one run in the top of the second and after the Lions went down in order in the first inning of game two, the Nittany Lion offense took out its frustrations of an 18 and two-thirds inning scoreless streak as it broke out for six runs in the second, all with two outs. Greenfield, who went 2-for-4 in game two with a pair of runs scored, single and went to second base in between the first two outs of the inning. Wine drove him in with a single to left. James Spinelli drew a walk and Laird was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Gaffney, hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, drove an RBI single through the left side and then Cavagnaro hit his team-leading fourth triple of the year down the line in right, clearing the bases. He then scored on Scott Gummo's single to center for a 6-1 Penn State lead.

Penn State scored in each of the next three innings as well, beginning with one in the third as Greenfield tied himself for the team lead in home runs with his fourth of the year, a rocket over the fence in left to greet relief pitcher Craig Murray. Michigan got one run back in the fourth inning as it benefitted from three walks that were issued by Whitehill, including one with the bases loaded. But Whitehill battled through and got a groundout to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. The Nittany Lions tacked on three more in the fourth as Cavagnaro added himself to the team lead in round-trippers as well with a two-run shot to right after Gaffney had led off the frame with a single. Brian Ernst also singled in Gummo later in the inning. Three more runs were added by Penn State in the fifth as Cavagnaro drove in his career-high sixth run with a double down the left field line and Thompson also had a two-run single in the inning.

Despite walking a career-high five, Whitehill also struck out a career-high eight hitters in just six innings of work in improving to 2-2 with his second straight win. He allowed six hits and two runs. Matt Ogrodnik pitched the final inning for the Lions. Starter Andrew Hess took the loss for Michigan, allowing five hits and six runs in two innings of work. Five Nittany Lions had multiple hits in game two, led by Cavagnaro's 3-for-4 and Ernst, who also went 3-for-4.Gaffney and Wine each went 2-for-4 in addition to Greenfield. Gaffney and Cavagnaro each scored three runs apiece as well.

The Nittany Lions will close out their home schedule this year as well as Beaver Field as Craig Clark takes the hill tomorrow beginning at 1:00 p.m. Prior to the series finale, there will be a senior day ceremony beginning at 12:40 p.m., which will be followed by a ceremony to close out Beaver Field. Former players from each of the decades in which Beaver Field has served as Penn State's home will be on hand to throw out ceremonial first pitches in the final game at Beaver Field.

Notes: Gummo's streak of reaching base for 24 straight games was snapped in game one, as he went 0-for-3 without any walks or hit by pitches. He rebounded to reach base twice in game two....Greenfield went a combined 4-for-7 in the twinbill and is now 20-for-49 (.408) in his last 16 games. He is 5-for-9 in this series....Cavagnaro's previous high in RBI in a game was against Minnesota on April 1, when he drove in five and also hit a home run....Despite taking the loss in game one, Wyner lowered his ERA to 4.65 and has now lowered his ERA in each of his last eight appearances....Michigan, which entered the series leading the Big Ten in fielding percentage, committed the first two errors of the series with a pair in the second game. The Nittany Lions have not committed an error in the series.