|
Nittany Lions Drop Final Non-Conference Tilt
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (May 17, 2005) - The Penn State baseball team rallied from a six-run deficit, but the bullpen couldn't hold it down as the Nittany Lions dropped a 12-10 non-conference game against Villanova Tuesday at Beaver Field. Penn State (27-24) will be back in action when it closes out its regular season with a four-game series against Michigan beginning at 2 p.m. Friday at Beaver Field. All four games can be heard live on ESPN Radio WMAJ 1450 AM, and a link to listen will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com. Sophomore Jim Leitgeb (Elkton, Md.) had another great game, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. He had two doubles to increase his season total to a team-best 13 doubles. Senior Michael Milliron (DuBois, Pa.) matched his season high of a 14-game hitting streak with two hits, including an RBI double. His two hits moved him into a sixth-place tie with Kevin Billotte with 192 career hits on the Penn State's all-time hits list. Milliron also moved into third-place with 205 career games played, and into ninth-place with 34 career doubles. Junior Lance Thompson (Brisbin, Pa.) had two hits and scored a run, and freshman Scott Gaffney (Westbury, N.Y.) went 2-for-5, scoring two runs, stealing three bases and driving in one run. His is the first Nittany Lion to steal three bases in a game since Zack Smithlin did it against Maryland on April 15, 2003. Junior Aaron Greenfield (Villanova, Pa.) hit a two-run home run and tied a career high with three RBI. Things started out well for Penn State as it jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Sophomore Matt Lewis (Arnold, Md.) had an RBI single, Greenfield had an RBI groundout, and Lewis eventually scored on a wild pitch. But the Wildcats scored two in the third inning to cut the lead to one. Villanova (28-18-2) took the lead with a seven-run fourth inning, including a two-run single by Robert Parks. Penn State bounced back with one run in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI double by Milliron, and then scored six in the fifth inning to take a brief 10-9 lead. Greenfield's two-run homer was followed by sophomore Travis Laird (Conneaut Lake, Pa.) scoring on a wild pitch, an RBI single by Gaffney, and a two-out, two-run single by Leitgeb. But Villanova bounced right back to tie the game in the next half inning on an RBI single by Angelo Petracca, who went 5-for-5 with two RBI. An RBI double by Jeremy Hunt and an RBI single by Ryan Arcadia gave Villanova the 10-8 lead. Notes: Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Nittany Lion baseball family, will break ground on its brand new baseball park at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The new facility will be named Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, and it is expected to be finished in June of 2006. Villanova 12
|
|
