GAME ONE: BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY
GAME TWO: BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team split its doubleheader with Penn State on Saturday at Turkey Hughes Field as the Colonels fell in game one, 7-1, before rallying for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to surge past the Nittany Lions, 7-5, in game two.

In leading EKU (1-4) to its first victory of 2011, freshman lefty Kyle McGrath (1-0) earned his first collegiate win as he started game two and worked six innings, allowing just four runs on seven hits while striking out five batters. Senior closer Ryne Purcell, who tied EKU’s single-season record with 12 saves last season, allowed a run in the seventh but induced a 6-4-3 double play and received a spectacular diving play from senior first baseman Bryce Labhart to pick up his first save of this season.

Junior Jacob Daniel put the Colonels on the board in game two with a three-run blast to left center in the bottom of the third that made it 3-1 in favor of EKU; however, Penn State (3-2) pushed across one run in the top of the fourth and then took the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.

Trailing 5-4 heading into the home half of the fifth, freshman Alex Arovits, making his first start of the season, ignited the EKU comeback as he led off the inning with a double down the left field line. After a base hit by Daniel moved him to third, Arovits scored the game-tying run when junior Richie Rodriguez blasted a double to left field.

After McGrath seamlessly retired the Nittany Lions in order in the top of the sixth, EKU rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good. Sophomore Austin Grisham – who batted 4-for-6 on the day – started the rally with a double to right and then scored the go-ahead run on a single down the left field line by junior Michael Garcia. After pinch-hitter Mitch Durbin legged out an infield single, Daniel walked to load the bases for Rodriguez, who added a pair of insurance runs by lacing a single through the right side of the infield that scored Garcia and pinch-runner Matt Phipps and made it 7-4.

Steven Hill (0-1) received the loss for Penn State as he went 4.1 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits.

Rodriguez and Daniel both drove in three runs to lead the Colonels offensively in game two, while Sean Deegan went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored for the Nittany Lions.

In game one, EKU stranded 13 runners – 11 through the first five innings – as Penn State pulled away late for the 7-1 win.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Bazzani (0-2) picked up the loss for the Colonels, working five innings while allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out six batters.

Dave Walkling (2-0) earned the win for Penn State by working the final 4.1 innings of the game in relief and allowing no runs on two hits and fanning five batters.

Freshman Bryan Soloman led EKU at the plate in game one as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored.

Jordan Steranka went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI to lead the Nittany Lions while Deegan drove in a team-best two runs.

The Colonels had their chances as they collected nine hits in the game, left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and the bottom of the fifth and only trailed 2-0 heading into the top of the sixth. In the top of the sixth, however, the Colonel pitching began to unravel as Steranka and Joey DeBernardis led off the inning with back-to-back singles before Bazzani and junior right-hander Matt Harris combined to walk three straight Nittany Lions and make the score 4-1.

Penn State added another in the top of the seventh and two more in the top of the eighth to slowly pull away from an EKU team that simply could not convert base runners into runs.

EKU will try to take the series from Penn State when the two teams meet in the finale of this weekend’s series tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.