Pitching Exhausted, Manchester Rolls Over Berks

 In the Nittany Lions sixth game in four days, all of their regular starting pitchers have been used.  This was quite evident, as the score became quite lopsided and the Spartans of Manchester College rolled over the Nittany Lions by a score of 22-3 Saturday afternoon at the Ripken Complex. 

The Nittany Lions looked to three freshman pitchers to keep them in the game against a hard-hitting Manchester team.  The Spartans set the tone of the game in the first inning, compiling five runs, but only one of them earned, as they batted around the lineup in the top of the first. 

Manchester continued this trend of scoring, recording runs in seven of the nine innings throughout the game.  The Nittany Lions can't put all the blame on inexperienced pitching, as the defense recorded six costly errors helping the Cardinals record a season high total for runs.

The Nittany Lions got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning when senior second baseman Pat Griffin (Newtown, PA/Council Rock North) singled up the middle scoring teammate Kevin Heilman (Easton, PA/Easton) who reached base on a walk.

Penn State's two other runs of the day came in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Adam Maurer (Washington Township, NJ/Warren Hills) scored all the from first base on a Tyler Fleischut (Doylestown, PA/C.B. West) triple down the left field line.  Freshman catcher Seth Shultz (Wernersville, PA/Conrad Weiser) followed Fleischut's triple with a sacrifice fly to knock in the Nittany Lions final run of the game.

The Nittany Lions will finish up their spring training trip Sunday morning against Wilkes University at 9 a.m.