April 17, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.--The Nittany Lion softball team (25-13, 5-4 Big Ten) dropped a tough 4-0 decision to the No. 18/20 Illinois Fighting Illini (30-5, 4-2 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon at Nittany Lion Field.
Senior Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) got the start in the circle for the Nittany Lions. She struck out a season-high 10 batters and gave up just five hits and one earned run in a complete game against a talented Illinois lineup. Illinois pitcher Monica Perry tossed a one-hitter and struck out 11.
In the top half of the second, Illinois got on the board first. After Meredith Hackett led off the inning with a double, Kelley Wedel laid down a bunt. On the bunt play, a fielding error allowed Hackett to score. Then, with two runners on, Danielle Vaji singled to centerfield, scoring two more. Illinois had a 3-0 lead with three unearned runs.
Illinois tacked on to its lead in the third inning. After the first two batters on got on base from a walk and hit-by-pitch, Audrey Gallien's RBI single gave the Illini a 4-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Penn State had a runner on second with one out, but the Nittany Lions were unable to capitalize.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, sophomore Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) broke up the no-hitter when she roped a double to the left centerfield gap. The Nittany Lions were unable to score the run to break the shutout.
The Nittany Lions return to action tomorrow when they finish the series with Illinois. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. ET as the game will have live stats on GameTracker, and radio coverage on ComRadio (comradio.psu.edu). Live commentary will also be available through Twitter (@PSULionSoftball).
--NITTANY LIONS--