Feb. 20, 2010
SAN DIEGO, Calif.--The Penn State softball team used potent pitching from hurler Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) and timely hitting to down Utah State, 6-1, and give head coach Robin Petrini her 400th career win on Saturday afternoon. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) was a force at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
A pair of three-run innings, the second and fourth innings, opened a 6-0 lead for Penn State (5-3). Win number 400 came against a special opponent, Petrini's alma mater Utah State (5-2). The Aggies were no match for Hill early, as she mowed down eight of the first nine batters with strikeouts.
"It was nice to get offense together without Danee (Collett) or Kailyn (Johnson) hitting today," Petrini said after the milestone victory. "This proves we can score in many different ways and Cassidy really hit the ball well today."
The offense came alive for the Nittany Lions in the bottom half of the second inning when Danee Collett (Orange, Calif.) led off by getting on base when she was hit with the third pitch in her at bat. Hill grounded to second, moving Collett to second, while Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) and Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) each walked to load the bases.
Danielle Noll (Bald Eagle, Pa.) stepped to the plate and ran the count to 3-2 before getting beaned in the head, earning the RBI and giving Penn State a 1-0 lead. After Utah State replaced starter Mandy Harmon (2-1, 1.1 IP, 0 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, HBP) with Shelbi Tyteca, Yao grounded into a fielder's choice sending Bell to the plate with two outs. Bell took a 1-0 pitch the opposite way driving home two for a 3-0 lead.
Penn State made the most of its at bats in the fourth as Giordano walked and Akamine reached on an infield single. A wild pitch by Tyteca moved both runners up a base and Noll grounded out. Tyteca threw her second wild pitch of the inning, scoring Giordano and moving Akamine to third. Yao hit a liner to left center that scored Akamine for a 5-0 PSU lead. Bell hit her second extra base hit of the day with a triple to deep center, scoring on the next play as Griffith hit a soft grounder to short, beating the throw at first for her first RBI of the season and a 6-0 Penn State advantage.
Hill (4-1, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K) found herself in a bit of trouble in the fifth, walking home a run with the bases loaded. She would get out of the inning with a pop up to third and a key strikeout looking of the number two and three batters in USU's lineup.
Akamine came in relief of Hill, pitching two perfect innings of work, recording two strikeouts in the process. Hill has lowered her ERA to 3.07 this season, while Akamine had one of her finest performances in the circle during this young season.
Penn State is set to battle San Diego State at approximately 7:30 p.m. PT (10:30 p.m. ET). The Aztecs are hosting No. 1 Washington in the game prior to the clash with the Nittany Lions. Last season, SDSU won a pitcher's duel, 1-0, with Hill earning the loss.
NOTES Robin Petrini won her 400th career game today, she has coached 729 Division I games for Penn State, previously she was the head coach of the BYU program for several years before it was a varsity team...Petrini is the program's all-time leading coach in wins...Penn State won its first game ever against USU. The Lions lost twice to the Aggies in 1989...Hill recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts, one off her career high of 11, which was set in 2008 vs. Notre Dame...Bell, who was hitting .300 coming into this weekend, has upped her average to .367, hitting .500 this weekend with two doubles and a triple. More impressive, she's getting on base at a .583 clip, a fantastic number as the leadoff batter, a spot in the order she never hit in before this season. Bell also is tied for the team lead in hits (11) with Collett...Griffith recorded her first RBI of the season, just her 21st in her career...Two of Danielle Noll's four RBI have come in bases loaded walk situations, her on-base percentage is .417...Hill has a 1.17 ERA and a 2-0 record in the Campbell/Cartier Classic, pitching 12 innings and allowing just eight hits and two runs...The game was pushed back two hours and 15 minutes due to rains that soaked the San Diego area Friday night, game time was just a shade over two hours at 2:01.
--NITTANY LIONS--