I Friday, Aug. 6, 2010
1 ; p
Philadelphia at New York (NL)
7:35 p.m., CSN
Pittsburgh vs. Colorado
7:05 p.m., FSN
Ex-PSU catcher
Heath to return
Though Ben Heath’s Penn
State career ended May 22,
the former Penn State catch
er will return
to Medlar
Field at
Lubrano Park
this weekend
as a member
of the Tri-City
Valley Cats,
the short-sea
son Class A
affliliate of the
Houston Astros
Heath, who was selected by
the Astros in the fifth round
(153rd overall) of this past
June's draft, set the Nittany
Lions single season home run
record with 18 homers in 2010.
He is tied for fifth in the
NATL with six home runs
entering Thursday, and owns
a .459 slugging percentage.
Men’s soccer No. 16
in preseason poll
The Nittany Lions were
ranked No. 16 on College
Soccer News’ preseason Top
30 poll Thursday.
Akron, who Penn State
plays at Jeffrey Field Oct. 13,
was ranked No.l while Big
Ten teams Ohio State (No. 10),
Northwestern (No. 18),
Michigan State (N 0.19) and
Indiana (N 0.21) are also
ranked.
Title game will be
played in Indy
The first Big Ten champi
onship football game will be in
Indianapolis at Lucas Oil
Stadium.
The game is scheduled to
be played in December 2011.
Lucas Oil Stadium was one
of several sites that
expressed interest in hosting
the game, including Detroit's
Ford Field.
Big Ten commissioner Jim
Delany indicated that a more
thorough search for venues
after the 2011 game will begin
soon.
The conference still has to
negotiate a one-year agree
ment with Indiana Sports
Corp and Lucas Oil Stadium
to host the game.
Awarding Rangers
to Ryan right move
There’s no one better to
take over the Texas Rangers.
Mark Cuban would have
been a lot of fun, but he has
his Dallas Mavericks to tend
to. No, it had to be Nolan
Ryan.
Ryan is without doubt the
franchise’s most famous
player. He also knows what
he's doing as far as building
the team. The Rangers’
eight-game lead in the divi
sion can attest to that.
Though Cuban has more
money to throw around,
Ryan’s group was able to
get the team out of bankrupt
cy
A successful product, and a
roster of stars, leads to rev
enue
Baseball needs the
Rangers in Texas. After all,
everyone knows the Astros
are just a farm team for the
Phillies anyway.
Q: How many sacks did
Broncos LB Elvis Dumervil
record last season?
Thursday’s answer: Tom
Gordon surrendered Alex
Rodriguez’s first career
homerun.
Spikes benefit from
Spikes firstbaseman Matt Curry connects on a pitch against Williamsport earlier this season
By Jake Kaplan
COLLEGIAN STALE WRITER
Gerlis Rodriguez laid down a
sacrifice bunt, attempting to put
two runners in scoring position in
ninth.
But the bunt by
the State College
Spikes designated
hitter ended up
doing more than
that.
Staten Island
Yankees catcher
Nick McCoy over
threw first base.
and Spikes left Staten Island
fielder Pat Irvine
walked home to score, as State
College walked oft with a 3-2 win
Thursday night at Medlar Field at
Lubrano Park. With the victory, the
Spikes (23-24) snapped an eight
game losing streak against the
Yankees (21-22).
“It just shows the light that wo
have,’’ State College starting pitch
er Zack Von Rosenberg" said
among a jovial clubhouse. The
game was tight in the laic innings,
and we just found a way to win.
That's what it came down to."
The State College dugoui and
bullpen emptied after Irvine
crossed home plate, mobbing
Kubel’s dome shot gives Twins series
By The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG. Fla. This
popup took a bad hop
Jason Kubel's two out pop
clanked off a cat- : —-
walk high above
Tropicana Field
and fell behind the
pitcher’s mound for a go-ahead sin
gle in the ninth inning, a true dome
run that sent the Minnesota Twins
past the Tampa Bay Rays 8-6
Thursday.
“I’ll take it," Kubel said. "Get a
run in, that’s all that matters.
Anyway it works. I'm happv with
that.”
After the Rays scored six times
in the eighth, capped by pinch-hit
ter Jason Bartlett’s grand slam
that made it 6-all, the Twins rallied
in most unusual fashion.
Minnesota put runners at the
corners and Kubel lofted his pop.
Tampa Bay second baseman Reid
Brignac and shortstop Bartlett
backed up and got in position to
catch the ball, but it struck the
highest metal catwalk about 190
feet over the field and changed
direction.
No Rays fielder could recover in
time to catch the ball before it land
ed 15 feet behind the mound.
“At the last second, at the top, it
hit the catwalk and dropped
straight down,” Bartlett said.
“Reid and I were both at the edge
Rodriguez in the infield.
Rodriguez’ sacrifice wasn't the
first of its kind in a ninth inning that
turned out better than expected.
Alter Inane hit an infield single to
start the bottom of the ninth, sec
ond baseman Walker Gourley tried
to move him over. Gourley put a
ball down the first base line that
appeared to be going foul. Staten
Island's pitcher and first baseman
watched it as it sat right on the
chalk in fair territory. Meanwhile,
Gourley took first base.
State College
"Man. I thought it was going to
go foul," Gourley said. "But it didn’t
so we'll take it."
Von Rosenberg was a big factor
in the win. The 19-vear-old sup
plied his best start of his young
professional career, throwing six
shutout innings, and allowing
merely two hits. It was just the sec
ond time all year a Spikes’ hurler
has gone six innings Tyler
Waldron did it July 24.
Behind Von Rosenberg’s stellar
outing, the Spikes were able to get
out to an early lead.
State College center fielder Mel
Rojas Jr. helped spark the team
right out of the gate, smacking a
ieadotf double off the center field
wall. Rojas came around to score
on a groundout. giving the Spikes a
1-0 lead.
The Spikes increased their lead
of the dnl right when it hit so I don’t
t hink anvbody had a chance.”
By rule, the ball was in play and
there were no arguments or dis
cussions. More than 100 balls have
hit the four catwalks since the ball
park opened in 1998, but only once
before had one struck the highest
"A" ring Carlos Pena did it in a
Twins’ victory on May 31, 2009.
Minnesota pitcher Jose Mijares
caught that popup and toppled onto
his stomach.
"It's just one of those things,”
Brignac said. "It's part of our home
stadium and we've got to deal with
The odd ball that fell fair dropped
the Rays out of a first-place tie with
the idle New York Yankees in the
AL East. Tampa Bay has lost only
three times in its last 13 games,
including a 13-inning, 2-1 loss to
Minnesota on Wednesday night.
"It pretty much can’t happen any
place but here.” Rays manager Joe
Maddon said.
“I know it works both ways but to
lose a game in a pennant situation
like that because of a roof indicates
why there's a crying need for a new
ballpark.”
For the Twins, it was a bit of cat
walk revenge.
Tampa Bay beat the Twins 4-3 in
10 innings on May 2, 2007, as Pena
started the winning rally with an
infield single that struck the sec
ond-highest “B”’ ring.
W-r
w /''
when third baseman
Brown doubled and it-d .
to bring him in to start th<- ■
The lead slipped a wav t
enth, however. Case;,
relieved Von Rosenberg, an
hits and two errors L
Spikes were in a 2-2 ck-atho
score remained that way i:
walkoff in the ninth.
State College manage!.- :
Robinson was proud of the ':
team handled diversitv The- V
have struggled of late, iv-.n.v
eight games coming in. indum
-10-0 loss against State:) J.-.i.
Wednesday night.
“Adversity is something, t
really is good." Robinson Scdei
mean it's really good, li V o
thing that all of us. but particuu
baseball players go through.. .
how you deal with that adver
defines you."
The Spikes, who pun c
Yankees one last time in the rub
ber match of their three- game
series at 7:05 tonight, hope this
game is a turning point in j.hnr
season.
“The last week or so. it's been a
grind." catcher Matt Starving said.
“And we've come up short a couple
times, so being able to get a win
like this is huge,"
To e-mail reporter: jyk4ls2@psii.es;:
Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett tries to track down Jason Kubel’s popup
error
Pitcher
tosses six
shutout
innings
I .
Stailing off the game with
has K to-baek strikeouts, Zack
Yon Rosenberg looked poised for
iormance.
sixth-round pick of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, used strong
command of his fastball to keep
hitters guessing throughout the
In a six-inning performance,
Von Rosenberg allowed only two
hits and recorded three strike
outs en route to one of the best
utings of his professional career.
I got to watch the night before
iih the hitters tendencies and
hat thcv do and was able to
:r. e an approach with knowing
■a hat they're trying to accom
plish.” Von Rosenberg said. "It
was just good that I got to per
ils ; a. the way I wanted to and for
: :i: i h my team was behind me
making great plays."
\on Rosenberg carried a no
hitter to the top of the fifth.
He located all of his pitches,”
I . i Matt Skirving said. “He
Makes a huge difference and just
iid a good job of keeping hitters
si- balance and guessing."
Yen Rosenberg would allow his
a -! hi! of the night to Staten
-l aid right fielder Mike Ferraro,
.eier in the inning, Casey
: :vi nson would single to right
iiu a cutoff by Spikes shortstop
bit Ngoepe would force
Mover, son into a run-down. He
aas tagged out before Ferraro
.■onld reach home.
Vo-i Rosenberg became the
second Spikes starter to reach
■ vt h inning this year as Tyler
Mre h i accomplished the feat in
\ cith's win against the
nbui’n I Viiibledays.
'! haven't clone that in over a
year now due to pitch counts and
wanting to keep our arms
healthy, which is understandable
rwoause we haven't pitched this
long into a season,” Von
Rosenberg said. “It was definite
ly awesome to be able to pitch
lo the sixth.
Forcing Yankees catcher Nick
McCoy to flyout to left to start the
sixth. Von Rosenberg continued
to cruise.
Despite walking left fielder
Shane Brown, Von Rosenberg
got ecnterfielder Eduardo Sosa
to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to
end i he inning and his night.
•'l've never seen him compete
like that and that’s a great sign,”
Spikes manager Gary Robinson
said.
The Daily Collegian
By Joe Kurtek
i-OR THE COLLEGIAN
SPIKES
Rosen-
i i. diead in the count which