| Jen Acunto |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 30, 2007 - Led by an outstanding outing in the circle by Ashley Esparza (San Pedro, Calif.) and a 3-for-4 performance at the plate by Meghan Wolfer (Northampton, Pa.), Penn State opened the Big Ten season with a 3-1 win over Wisconsin on Friday night. The Lions (15-12, 1-0 Big Ten) and Badgers (16-8, 0-1 Big Ten) meet again on Saturday at noon to finish the series.
Solid pitching in the opening frame by Esparza neutralized the effect of a Nittany Lion error in the first inning. The junior struck out two, including a called strike on Ricci Robben to end the inning with Badger runners on second and third.
In the third inning, Penn State threatened to open up the scoring as a Badger error, a double from Wolfer and an intentional walk to Danielle Kinley (Carlsbad, Calif.) mixed to equal bases full of Lions. But after a groundout to the next batter, the game stayed a scoreless tie entering the fourth inning.
Sophomore Shana Madura (Slate Hill, N.Y.) got Penn State started in the bottom of the fifth inning when she ripped a double that fell in right centerfield. After a sacrifice bunt from freshman outfielder Ashley Griffith (Mt. Laurel, N.J.), where she reached safely due to an error on Badger pitcher Eden Brock, getting runners to first and third. Griffith stole second to get two runners in scoring position with senior Wolfer at the plate. Wolfer connected with her second hit of the day and advanced to second as Madura came home for the 1-0 Nittany Lion advantage. Power-hitter Esparza came up looking to increase the Penn State lead and did just that by laying down an uncharacteristic squeeze bunt to score Griffith and then arrived safely herself after an error on Wisconsin first baseman Alexis Garcia. After another walk to Kinley, her second of the game, the bases were loaded with Nittany Lions for the second time. A strikeout to the next batter, Brock??s second of the game, was followed by an RBI-fielder??s choice from the bat of Jen Acunto (Hollywood, Fla.). The RBI was Acunto??s 13th of the year and put the Lions up 3-0.
| Ashley Esparza |
Wisconsin launched a comeback in the top of the seventh when rightfielder Katie Hnatyk began the inning with a single. A fielder??s choice got the Lions one out closer to a victory, but Garcia sent a double the put runners on second and third with one out. Badger designated player Theresa Boruta hit an RBI-single up the middle, leaving runners at the corners with the 3-1 Penn State lead. Esparza won the next battle, striking out Valyncia Raphael to get the Lions?? just one out away from their first Big Ten win. She then got Lynn Anderson to groundout to second baseman Kayce Zielinski (Arlington, Texas) to preserve the victory.
Wolfer led Penn State offensively with a 3-for-4 performance. Esparza, and Acunto both had RBIs. In the circle, Esparza took her record to 7-6 with four strikeouts. Brock fell to 8-5 on the year.
The Nittany Lions and Wisconsin Badgers meet again Saturday at noon for the final meeting of the series. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are in town Sunday for a doubleheader at 10 a.m. on Nittany Lion Field at the corner of University Drive and Park Avenue. Admission is free.