Feb. 21, 2010
SAN DIEGO, Calif.--The Penn State softball team won its third-straight game on Saturday night, defeating host San Diego State, 3-1, at the SDSU Softball Complex. Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) threw a complete game, while helping herself with an RBI sacrifice fly.
Hill (5-1), starting her third game in a row in the circle, went the distance allowing five hits, one earned run while walking four and striking out two. Penn State (6-3) got a rally going in the fourth as Ashley Griffith (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) had a bunt single with one out to start the proceedings. Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) walked, bringing in Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.) to pinch run for Johnson. Danee Collett was hit by a pitch to load the bases and a sac fly by Hill made it 1-0.
The next batter, Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) chopped a single to third, scoring Hutchinson, but Collett would be caught in a rundown to end the inning at 2-0 in favor of Penn State (6-3).
San Diego State (7-3) would get on the board in the bottom half of the inning when Lindsey Marquez hit an RBI triple bringing home Traci Wolf, cutting the deficit in half at 2-1 after four.
In the top of the sixth, Johnson knocked a homer to straight away centerfield on a 3-2 pitch, a laser that didn't fall until well after it cleared the wall to make it 3-1 in favor of Penn State. It was Johnson's third homer of the year. PSU would get on top of two more pitches as Collett had a curving shot down the rightfield line caught on the run and Hill's drive to left center caught at the wall.
Hill would pitch out of two jams in the fifth and sixth inning, stranding two Aztec runners in each frame, while working a perfect seventh on eight pitches to end the game as rain and mist began to fall on the field. For the day, Hill pitched 12 innings, giving up eight hits and two runs while striking out 12 batters.
Penn State belted seven hits on the evening, winning its first ever game against San Diego State, having dropped the previous five matchups including a tough 1-0 decision last year.
The Nittany Lions conclude their stay in San Diego by facing the top-ranked team and defending NCAA Champion Washington, 5-0 winners over SDSU earlier on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1:15 p.m. ET and the game can be followed through Gametracker and Twitter (@PSULionSoftball).
NOTES
This is the first time since 2006 that a Penn State team has started the season 6-3, that squad finished 39-17 en route to an NCAA Regional appearance...Hill has lowered her ERA to 2.65 this season, for the Campbell/Cartier Classic she is 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA, allowing just 19 hits and 10 walks in 19 innings of work, while striking out 21...Desi Giordano caught four popouts and fielded six grounders successfully without incident tonight...Morgan Long had her first base hit of the season with a long single to left field that narrowly missed clearing the fence for a home run...Johnson's third homer of the year gave her the team lead and was the squad's 12th of the year, PSU hit just 20 all of last season...For the tournament, Penn State pitchers have stranded 32 opposing base runners while the Lions have left 19 on offense.
--NITTANY LIONS--