Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Penn State
Nittany Lions Sweep Series; Win Sunday Finale 6-4
4/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 22, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A two-out, eighth-inning fly ball double that was lost in the sun allowed Penn State to score the go-ahead runs in a 6-4 loss Sunday afternoon in University Park, Pa. The loss, NU's fourth of the series, dropped the Wildcats to 9-25 overall, 3-13 in the Big Ten. NU is next in action when they host UW-Milwaukee at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston.
Junior Antonio Mule (Lodi, N.J./Lodi) drove in a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to give NU a 2-0 lead. After three singles loaded the bases, Mule drove a 1-0 pitch into centerfield to score catcher Chad Noble (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) and centerfielder Aaron Newman (Palatine, Ill./Palatine). Both players singled to reach base.
The Wildcats' lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the third inning, Penn State first baseman Cory Wine hit a two-out, three-run home run off Wildcat starter Cole Livermore (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) to put PSU ahead 3-2.
Senior Caleb Fields (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) doubled to lead off the fourth inning and eventually scored on a squeeze play by right fielder Max Mann (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood). Fields' run tied the game 3-3.
Neither team threatened until Northwestern loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning. A two-out double by third baseman Jake Owens (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) and walks to Mule and first baseman Jake Goebbert (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) loaded the bases. A wild pitch put NU up 4-3 after six and one-half innings. A groundball ended the inning.
After giving up the three-run home run in the third inning, Livermore cruised until Wine hit a one-out triple to centerfield. The next hitter singled to tie the game 4-4. Two singles and a fly-ball double that was lost in the sun by the NU outfielder allowed Penn State to take a 6-4 lead.
NU went quietly in the ninth.
