EAST LANSING, Mich. (May 18, 2003) - Sophomore Clint Eury (Butler, Pa.) scored freshman Derrick Barr (So. Williamsport, Pa.) with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to lead the Penn State baseball team to a 4-3 victory over Michigan State Sunday at John H. Kobs Field.

The Nittany Lions wrapped up their regular season with a four-game split versus the Spartans. Penn State finished 26-26 overall and 17-15 in the Big Ten after a disappointing 2002 season in which it went 23-30 and 11-19, respectively.

The Nittany Lions will travel to Minneapolis, Minn. on Monday to participate in the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held May 21-24 at Siebert Field, for the first time since 2001. Penn State clinched at least fifth place in the conference and could move up to fourth place with a doubleheader split between Indiana and Northwestern on Sunday afternoon.

The Hoosiers, Wildcats and Nittany Lions will join Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota, which is the No. 1 seed, in the six-team field.

Senior Kevin Damiano (Mt. Airy, Md.) gave up just one hit and struck out three over the final 2.2 innings to secure the victory and pick up his second save.

Junior Jared Hopewell (Watsontown, Pa.) won for the second straight Sunday to improve to 4-1 on the season. He gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits, walked two and struck out three in 6.1 innings of work. Barr led off with a double in the seventh inning to set up the game-winning run. Senior Wes Reohr (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) moved him over to third with a sacrifice bunt despite having two strikes in the count. Eury's sacrifice fly to rightfield was his second game-winning RBI of the series.

Michigan State (21-34, 10-19) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Travis Gulick.

Senior Adam Warchal (Nanticoke, Pa.) got the Nittany Lions on the board with his fifth homer, a solo shot to rightfield, in the fourth inning.

Penn State would take its first lead in the sixth inning after junior Matt Harter (Centre Hall, Pa.) walked and moved to third base on a single to rightfield by senior Mike DeRenzo (Murrysville, Pa.). DeRenzo moved up to second base when rightfielder Gulick threw to home. Senior Zack Smithlin (Fair Lawn, N.J.) hit a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-2.

But the Spartans would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo homer by Brett Wattles.

Penn State regained the lead with Eury's sac fly in the seventh inning and Hopewell was relieved by Damiano after giving up a single to Alan Cattrysse and then walking Charlie Braun with one out. Damiano struck out Gulick and James Moreno to end the inning.

Eury and Warchal had three hits each and DeRenzo had two in the game for Penn State.

Before the game started, Michigan State retired the numbers of a former player and a former coach.

Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts' No. 36 and former head coach Danny Litwhiler's No. 1 numbers were both revealed on the left-centerfield fence. Both played for the Philadelphia Phillies during their respective careers.