| Leigh Murray and the Nittany Lions kept the game close, but lost 1-0 to Northwestern on Friday. For more photos from the game, click here. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., April 7, 2006 - The Nittany Lion softball team narrowly missed knocking off No. 15 Northwestern, losing 1-0 in the seventh inning on a solo homerun. Penn State is now 21-8 on the year (1-4 Big Ten), while the 15th-ranked Wildcats are 24-8 (5-0 Big Ten).
Things got interesting in the top of the first inning when the first two Wildcat hitters got on board and advanced to second and third base. Penn State shut out the Northwestern offense for the remainder of the inning and escaped the scoring threat.
Despite the early scare, play was scoreless through the opening innings as both pitchers kept good control of the game. With one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, a key Northwestern error got sophomore Ashley Esparza (San Pedro, Calif.) to first base. Freshman Sam Hovanec (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took her place on the bag, and the ensuing hitter Danielle Kinley (Carlsbad, Calif.) walked to get two on for the Lions. After an infield fly, the Lions had one more chance to make something happen, but were unable to convert as Northwestern pitcher Eileen Canney got the final Nittany Lion of the inning out on a strikeout.
In the top of the seventh inning, on a 3-2 pitch, Wildcat third baseman Darcy Sengewald got hold of a Missy Beseres (Golden Valley, Minn.) pitch and sent it long over the fence in left center field. The round-tripper gave Northwestern a 1-0 lead with no outs. Penn State got the next three Wildcat hitters in order, but still went into the bottom of the second inning down one run.
To open the bottom of the seventh, redshirt-senior outfielder Leigh Murray (Fairfax Station, Va.) reached on a looper to leftfield. The next hitter, Esparza, hit into a fielder's choice that got Murray at second base. Two straight strikeouts then ended the Lions' hopes of a comeback and ended the game a 1-0 heartbreaker.
Canney got the win with 11 strikeouts and raised her record to 11-4. Beseres struck out nine in the loss, falling to 10-4.
Penn State hosts No. 15 Northwestern again Saturday for another single game, starting at noon at Nittany Lion Field. The Lions then meet Illinois on Sunday for a doubleheader, which also begins at noon. Both games vs. the Illini will be broadcast live on www.GoPSUsports.com.