April 14, 2010
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score | Photo Gallery
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.--The Nittany Lion softball team, led by a career performance in the first contest from sophomore right-hander Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.), split an afternoon doubleheader with the Spartans of Michigan State on Wednesday. Penn State fell 1-0 in the eight-inning first game, but bounced back to win 2-1 in the second.
Game One featured a true pitching showdown, as Akamine set a new career high with 14 strikeouts, but a combined shutout performance from Michigan State (18-19, 4-4 Big Ten) pitchers Kelly Confer and Lauren Kramer got the one run victory for the Spartans in extra innings. The Lions' loss marked the first time this season they've lost in extra innings, as an eighth-inning single to centerfield scored the winning run for the Spartans.
Penn State (26-12, 5-3 Big Ten) opened the front end of the double-header with a strong first inning defensively. Akamine began her dominance early for the Lions, striking out two of three batters faced in the opening frame.
The second inning was more of the same, with Akamine striking out two more. Freshman Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) began the offense for Penn State in the bottom, connecting on a double to left field. Sophomore Morgan Long (Oro Valley, Ariz.) was able to advance Johnson to third on a grounder to short, but two consecutive outs stranded Johnson on third base.
In the top of the third, Penn State found itself in a little bit of trouble with runners on the corners after an infield single and an error. Akamine was up to the challenge, registering her fifth strikeout of the day and bringing the Lions back to the dugout with zeros still on the board.
After two more scoreless innings, the Nittany Lions showed some offensive promise in the bottom of the fifth. Long connected on a single through the gap at short, and freshman Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.) was sent in to pinch run for Long. After a Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) bunt moved Hutchinson to second, Akamine and Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) hit back-to-back grounders to the shortstop, stranding Hutchinson and moving to the sixth inning still deadlocked at zero.
Akamine continued to shine in the circle for the Lions, mowing down six batters in three innings, setting a new season high with 11 strikeouts after six innings of work. The sophomore found herself in a bit of trouble in the top of the seventh however, after an opening single put Michigan State's Lori Padilla on first. A passed ball followed by a sacrifice bunt moved Padilla to third with just one away, but Akamine got out of the inning in dramatic fashion, striking out the next two batters to get Penn State to the dugout, and setting a new career high in the process with her 12th and 13th strikeouts of the game.
The Lions came to bat in the bottom of the seventh with the game for the taking. Sophomore catcher Danee Collett (Orange, Calif.) led off with a double to right field, but Johnson, Long, and Giordono went down in succession, stranding Collett on second and sending the game to extra innings.
A leadoff double in the top of the eighth, followed by a single and a stolen base put two runners in scoring position with no outs for the Spartans. Michigan State's Kramer connected on a single up the middle to score one, with Penn State center fielder Cassidy Bell's (Bakersfield, Calif.) throw home coming in time to get the second runner out. Akamine was able to bear down and get out of the inning, registering another strikeout to move her career high to 14. The damage was enough as the Nittany Lions couldn't equalize in the bottom half of the eighth and MSU took a 1-0 victory.
The back end of the doubleheader featured some highlight offense from both squads with each team registering a solo home run. Desi Giordano went deep to straight away center for Penn State, her team-leading sixth home run this season. Senior Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) struck out nine in a performance in the circle that rivaled Akamine's showing in the first contest. Girodano's fifth-inning homer combined with Hill's stellar showing secured the comeback victory.
Penn State had several chances in the first, but could not bring any of their runners home. Michigan State's Ali Grant broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run in the top of the second inning and put the Spartans up 1-0.
Penn State's offensive persistence was rewarded an inning later, as Yao belted a triple to right field and a Bell deep sacrifice fly would score the freshman and give the Lions their first run of the afternoon, evening the score at one. After a one-out walk by the left fielder Griffith Penn State was hungry for more, but a double play ended the threat.
After a scoreless fourth, it was the junior Giordano who provided the final offense in the game, going deep to center field for a Penn State solo shot with no one out, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead. After Yao was hit by a pitch, the Penn State leadoff hitter Bell came to the plate and moved Yao to second on a sacrifice play to the second baseman. A Griffith sacrifice bunt to the pitcher moved Yao to third, and Collett came to the plate with two outs. The Spartans' Kramer was up to the task, striking out the Lion catcher and ending the inning with her squad down one. Griffith's sac bunt was the NCAA-leading 16th of the season.
That was all the offense that Penn State could muster, but it was all they needed, as Hill retired the side in the sixth and seventh, getting the win for the Lions, her 12th victory of the campaign.
Penn State registered only four hits in the first game to Michigan State's eight, but bounced back with a 5-3 hit advantage for the second contest. Giordano's home run and Yao's triple spearheaded the Nittany Lion offensive effort, and Penn State was solid defensively with only one error through the two contests. Akamine's record drops to 14-4, while Hill improves to 12-8 on the season. Akamine's nine-decision winning streak was snapped in the Game One loss, while Hill won her first game since March 14 against Florida Gulf Coast.
The Nittany Lions return to action this weekend when they welcome No. 18/20 Illinois to Happy Valley for a two-game series. First pitches are slated for 2:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and both games will have live stats on GameTracker. The first contest will feature live streaming audio through GoPSUSports.com All-Access and radio coverage on 1390 AM WRSC. Coverage of the second game can be found on Penn State's ComRadio. Live commentary will also be available through Twitter (@PSULionSoftball).
--NITTANY LIONS--