| One of four graduating seniors, Missy Beseres, broke the record for career victories this year and ended her time at Penn State with 53 wins. Tallying 746 career strikeouts (234 in 2006), Beseres also tied the record for shutouts in a season with 10. |
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. ?C May 21, 2006 ?C The Nittany Lion softball team lost in championship play at the Hempstead NCAA regional Sunday afternoon, 5-0, to No. 6 seed Arizona State. Penn State (39-17) finishes its season with a school-record number of victories, while Arizona State (50-13) heads to Super Regionals next weekend.
ASU catcher Heidi Knabe began the third inning with a single through the left side and was immediately substituted for a pinch runner, Delenah Langley. A sacrifice bunt from third baseman Bianca Cruz moved the Sun Devil runner to second base, and with a pop-up from first baseman Kim Zadrozny, it looked like the Lions might escape harm. A bloop single to left field on a checked swing from lead-off hitter Jessica Mapes changed everything, sending Langley screaming towards home from second. Penn State left fielder Danielle Kinley (Carlsbad, Calif.) fired home to Hollee Haines (Riverside, Calif.), but the throw was a second too late, giving Arizona State the 1-0 lead.
The Sun Devils put a few more runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Shortstop Rhiannon Baca started ASU??s offense with a single, and Jackie Vasquez laid down the Sun Devils?? second sacrifice bunt in the game. Mindy Cowles beat out a single to shortstop and Knabe was hit by pitch to load the bases full of Sun Devils. Cruz hit an RBI single that scored Baca and Cowles to give Arizona State the 3-0 advantage. Kim Zadrozny grounded to shortstop Jen Acunto (Hollywood, Fla.), who tried to get lead runner Knabe at home, but the throw was late giving ASU its fourth run of the afternoon. Lead-off Jessica Mapes hit an RBI-groundout to shortstop for the second out of the inning. After another groundout, this time to Missy Beseres (Golden Valley, Minn.) in the circle, the inning ended with Arizona State leading 5-0.
The Nittany Lions had their best chance to put runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior designated hitter Jen Williams (Stillwater, Okla.) started things with a one-out single. A single from sophomore first baseman Ashley Esparza (San Pedro, Calif.) on the next at-bat was followed by an errant throw, getting both her and Williams in scoring position. A groundout to the pitcher and a fly ball out to center field ended the inning, however, before the Lions could score.
As the rains came in again in the top of the seventh, sophomore reliever Jenn Reynolds (Clovis, Calif.) pitched herself out of a jam after giving up a walk and a double to the first two ASU hitters. Reynolds struck one Sun Devil out and got the benefit of a nice defensive play from Esparza that got an advancing runner out at the plate. She then got one final strike out, her seventh of the day, to end the inning.
Beseres took the loss, falling to 19-9 on the year, and struck out four ASU hitters in 4.0 innings allowing five runs. Sophomore Reynolds pitched 3.0 innings of relief, striking out seven and allowing no runs. Katie Burkhart pitched a shutout for Arizona State, striking out 12.
Arizona State advances to the Super Regionals next weekend and will face the winner of the Athens Regional next weekend.
2006 PENN STATE SEASON IN BRIEF
Penn State concludes its 2006 season with a program-best 39-16 record and its sixth NCAA Tournament bid in the past seven years. The Nittany Lions used a 10-10 Big Ten record to earn its seventh conference tournament berth in eight years. Three Nittany Lions earned All-Great Lakes Region honors, including first team pick Ashley Esparza and second team selections Missy Beseres and Jen Acunto. Five Nittany Lions were selected for All-Big Ten accolades: sophomore utility player Jenn Reynolds (first team), freshman outfielder Danielle Kinley (second team), junior outfielder Jen Williams (second team), redshirt-senior pitcher Beseres (third team) and sophomore utility player Esparza (third team).
Serving in her 10th year as the Nittany Lions?? head coach, Robin Petrini earned her 300th career win vs. Bucknell on April 11, 8-0. Petrini also became Penn State??s all-time victories leader when she hit 307 on April 22 vs. Michigan State (1-0).
Team records broken by the ??06 Lions include: consecutive victories (16) and wins in a season (39). Individually, Beseres broke the record for career victories and ends her time at Penn State with 53. Tallying 746 career strikeouts (234 in 2006), Beseres also tied the record for shutouts in a season with 10.
Penn State says goodbye to four seniors: Missy Beseres, Destinie Chavez, Leigh Murray, and Katie Stauffer after great career efforts from all four.