April 27, 2010
Game One Box Score // Game Two Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State softball team (28-18, 7-7 Big Ten) suffered a pair of tough losses on Tuesday afternoon to Syracuse at Nittany Lion Field. Ashley Griffith (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) knocked two hits in Game Two.
In the first game against the Orange (27-20, 9-7 Big East), Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) was locked in a pitcher's duel with Syracuse starter Jenna Caira. With Hill stranding 10 runners in the first six innings and Caira leaving four Nittany Lions on the base paths, the Orange got on the board first. In the seventh inning, a two-run home run was all Syracuse would need to win, 2-0.
In Game Two, Syracuse jumped on the board quickly, scoring twice in the top of the first inning. Caira started the second matchup and went five innings after her complete-game win in the first outing. The Orange tacked on four runs in the fifth inning behind a pair of two-run home runs.
Caira departed the game in the sixth and relief pitcher Stacy Kuwik allowed a seventh-inning unearned run after Morgan Long (Oro Valley, Ariz.) advanced to third on a single and a subsequent two-base error by the right fielder. Long eventually came home on a wild pitch to cut the lead to five, but the Nittany Lions could get no closer, falling 6-1.
Penn State travels to Northwestern for a two-game series starting Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET. The second game of the set will be Sunday at Noon ET. Both games will be televised on the Big Ten Network and will have live stats coverage on GameTracker as well as live commentary on Twitter (@PSULionSoftball).
--NITTANY LIONS--