May 2, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Nittany Lion softball team suffered a tough 9-5 loss at the hands of Northwestern on Sunday at Drysdale Field. A sixth-inning grand slam gave the Wildcats all it would need to take the series. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) went 3-for-3 and a run scored to lead Penn State.
Penn State (28-20, 7-9 Big Ten) quickly jumped on the board after three batters when Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) doubled home Ashley Griffith (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) and Bell from second and third, respectively. Bell and Griffith got on base with singles and advanced on a wild pitched before Yao's double. The Nittany Lions would eventually load the bases, but three straight outs ended the threat for NU starting pitcher Jessica Smith.
Northwestern had an immediate answer with an Emily Allard walk, stolen base and a Adrienne Monka single that cut the lead in half at 2-1. After a hit-by-pitch, Michelle Batts hit an opposite field home run to give Northwestern a 4-2 lead after one full inning.
The Lions tied the game up in the third with the first three batters of the inning. Yao led off with a hit-by-pitch and Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) to put runners on second and third for Lauren Rossi (Yardley, Pa.), who roped a double to right and knotted the score at four.
Northwestern put together a rally in the bottom of the third loading the bases with two outs after walks to Monka, Batts and Kelly Dyer. Jordan Wheeler hit a single to left field and Griffith threw out Kelly Quinn trying to score the inning's second run as NU regained the lead at 5-4.
Penn State tried to answer back in the fourth inning when Mary Ostman (Northbrook, Ill.) singled to second and Bell gathered her second hit of the day with a single to center. Griffith put down her NCAA-leading 22nd sacrifice bunt down bringing up Yao, but a long fly out by the speedy second baseman ended the threat for Smith.
Northwestern mounted another attempt to add to its lead when infield singles by Robin Thompson and Emily Allard coupled by a stolen base by Allard gave runners at second and third with no outs for relief pitcher Hill. The senior righty sat down pinch-hitter Olivia Zolke, Monka and Nicole Pauly with strikeouts.
Hill led off the fifth with a crushed hit to right center, but it clipped the top of the wall and bounced into play, narrowly giving Penn State a tied game. Hill advanced to third on a passed ball and Rossi drove her in with a sacrifice fly to right field. Pinch-hitter Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) walked and reached second on a wild pitch to extend the threat. Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) lined a single to right field, but Giordano was barely tagged out at home, almost giving the Nittany Lions the lead.
Hill was still dealing on the mound as she got Batts to pop out and Haug struck out, the fourth of the day for Hill. A Dyer single and stolen base moved her into scoring position, but Hill induced a fly out by Wheeler to prevent NU from adding to its score.
Northwestern put together a response in the sixth when Allard doubled to center and Monka was intentionally walked with two outs. Pauly earned first when she was hit with a pitch bringing up Batts. The tense seven-pitch at bat went in favor of Batts who hit her third home run of the weekend, this time a grand slam, for a 9-5 lead. Penn State couldn't garner a rally in the seventh and fell to the Wildcats for the second consecutive day.
For the day, Bell went three-for-three and a run scored, reaching base in all four of her at bats on Sunday. Other multiple-hit batters were Hill and Rossi who each had two, while Yao added two RBI and Hill three.
The Nittany Lions return home for a two-game set against Ohio State next weekend, Saturday May 8 (2:00 p.m.) and Sunday May 9 (1:00 p.m.). The games are the final ones to be played at the current Nittany Lion Field, which will be replaced by the new Nittany Lion Park in March 2011. The $10.2 million complex will have its ceremonial groundbreaking on Friday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. with team members, coaches and other Penn State dignitaries on hand.
--NITTANY LIONS--