April 4, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.--The Penn State softball team salvaged a two-game series split at Purdue on Sunday with a 2-1 extra-inning win at the Varsity Sports Complex. Lauren Rossi (Yardley, Pa.) hit a two-out RBI single down the right field line in the eighth to give the Lions the win, while Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) earned the win with her complete-game no-earned run performance.
With the Nittany Lions ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Rossi committed her third error of the season on a grounder with one away, allowing Ashley Barr to round third and score the unearned run and knot the game up at one. Rossi would atone for her defensive miscue in the seventh with her four go-ahead or game-tying RBI of the season on a 2-2 pitch that scored pinch runner Rachel Myers (Millheim, Pa.) from second base for the 2-1 lead.
The inning started off with a two-out Danee Collett (Orange, Calif.) infield single to second base. Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) singled to left field bringing up Rossi for the game-winner. Akamine would strand a runner in the eighth, the sixth Boilermaker of the day to be left on base, giving the right-handed sophomore her 11th win of the season and her career-high in innings pitched in a game. Akamine totaled four strikeouts and gave up just one walk and six hits.
Penn State (22-10, 2-2 Big Ten) started Sunday where it left off Saturday as the Lions stranded two runners in the first inning. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) singled to open the game and after sacrifice by Ashley Griffith (Mt. Laurel, N.J.), Collett walked on five pitched before a pair of strikeouts ended the threat. On Saturday, Penn State left 10 on base, and Sunday they left seven on base.
After one-two-three innings by each team, Purdue (16-20, 1-3 Big Ten) came up in the second and Jenna Alexander hit a double to straightaway centerfield and would eventually steal third on an attempted hit-and-run situation. With two outs Ashley Barr smacked a liner down the left field line that was initially ruled fair by the home plate umpire, scoring Alexander and giving Barr a double. After an umpire conference, the ruling was overturned, giving Barr an 0-1 count, as she would eventually ground out to first on an 0-2 pitch to end Purdue's second.
The Lions would again get a rally going in the third when Bell singled down the left field line and get to second on a sacrifice by Griffith, her Big Ten-leading 14th sac bunt of the year moved Bell to second. Collett came up and hit a long fly ball to right that ended the inning, the first time Purdue starter Suzie Rzegocki retired the big hitting catcher this weekend.
Meanwhile, in the circle, Akamine was cruising as she allowed just three base runners on base through the first five innings, including Liane Horiuchi's two-out triple in the third and Ashley Courtney's double in the fourth.
For the Lions in the fifth inning, Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) hit a seemingly innocuous pop fly that caught Purdue second baseman Courtney off balance as she misjudged the play in the wind. The ball landed just behind first base and Courtney kicked it into the dugout sending Giordano to second base. Unfortunately for Penn State, no one could get her home as a strikeout and two grounders put an end to PSU's fifth.
Akamine and Rzegocki traded scoreless frames in the bottom of the fifth and sixth with Purdue putting together a one-out rally in the sixth. After a single by Molly Garst, she was sacrificed to second base for the second out of the inning. Courtney took a 2-1 pitch and hit a blooper to centerfield, which saw Bell come racing in to make the diving catch and preserve the shutout for Akamine.
The Nittany Lions looked to take control of the game in the seventh when Giordano took a 0-1 pitch down the left field line and over the fence for a 1-0 lead. The run by Penn State broke a 13-inning scoreless streak and was the first run Rzegocki gave up to PSU since last year's 3-2 Purdue win at Nittany Lion Field. Rzegocki tossed a shutout in yesterday's 5-0 win. The home run was Giordano's fifth of the season and second in the past three games.
The win for Penn State was the Lions' first over the Boilers since 2006, a streak that had reached eight games after Saturday's 5-0 loss. The Lions are also 3-0 in extra inning games this season.
Penn State has a quick turnaround as the Lions take on Pittsburgh in a home doubleheader on Tuesday starting at 3:00 p.m. Both games will be covered by GameTracker with the first on the airwaves on 1390 AM WRSC. Live commentary will also be available through Twitter (@PSULionSoftball).
--NITTANY LIONS--