EAST LANSING, Mich. (May 17, 2003) - The Penn State baseball team rallied for four runs in the eighth inning of Game 1 to earn a 6-2 victory over Michigan State, but the Spartans scored six in the seventh and one in the 10th to earn a 8-7 victory and a doubleheader split Saturday at John H. Kobs Field.

The Nittany Lions had scored two runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings of Game 2 to take a 7-1 lead into Michigan State's final at-bat. But the Spartans brought 10 men to the plate and scored six runs to send the game into extra frames.

Starter Aaron Tressler (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa.) had given up just one unearned run on three hits. He left the game after giving up an RBI single to Randy Ortiz, an RBI groundout to Brandon Volas, a two-run double to Travis Gulick and a two-run single to James Moreno to tie the game. The final four runs scored after there were two out in the inning. Freshman Sean Stidfole (Duncannon, Pa.) got the final out to end the threat.

Ortiz plated Erik Morris, the son of former Major League pitcher Jack Morris, with a single to rightfield in the 10th inning for the game-winning run.

The two teams will close out their respective regular-season schedules with a 1:00 p.m. contest Sunday. Penn State, which is 25-26 overall and 16-15 in the Big Ten, will move on to the Big Ten Tournament May 21-24 in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Golden Gophers earned the right to host the tournament with a 9-2 victory over Ohio State Friday night.

The Nittany Lions took a 1-0 lead in Game 2 after senior Wes Reohr (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) drew a one-out walk and moved to third on a single by sophomore Clint Eury (Butler, Pa.). Freshman Lance Thompson (Houtzdale, Pa.) scored Reohr with a sacrifice fly.

The game remained 1-0 until the Spartans scored when Morris grounded into a doubleplay, one of three in the game for Michigan State, in the fourth inning to score Gulick.

Freshman Derrick Barr (So. Williamsport, Pa.) singled and scored when Thompson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Reohr, who was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, crossed the plate on a passed ball to make it 3-1 Nittany Lions.

Thompson added a two-run single in the sixth and Penn State scored two more in the seventh on an RBI double by sophomore Mike Milliron (DuBois, Pa.) and a suicide squeeze that was executed by senior Zack Smithlin (Fair Lawn, N.J.).

Stidfole gave up one run on two hits over 2.2 innings, but fell to 3-1 on the season.

Eury played the hero in Game 1 with his arm and his bat. His solo home run to lead off the eighth inning sparked a four-run rally that gave the Nittany Lions a 6-2 win.

He also pitched the final three innings to pick up his fourth win. He gave up three hits, struck out one and walked just one to extend his scoreless innings streak to 15.0 innings.

Eury started the scoring in the game when he plated Barr with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning.

Thompson hit his fourth homer of the season in the fifth inning to put Penn State up 2-0.

But the longball came back to haunt starter Josh Palm (Conneaut Lake, Pa.). He gave up a pair of solo homers to Brett Wattles and Gulick in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, as the Spartans tied the game.

Palm gave up just the two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in five-plus innings in a no-decision.

Senior Mike DeRenzo (Murrysville, Pa.) had a sacrifice fly, senior Willie Melendez (Cayey, P.R.) had an RBI double and Smithlin had an RBI single after Eury hit his fourth homer in the eighth to pad the lead.

Eury retired the Michigan State batters in order in the eighth to secure the win.

- Nittany Lions Baseball -