May 9, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State softball team celebrated the culmination of its three seniors' careers as well as the final game at Nittany Lion Field, dropping a 5-0 decision to No. 19/22 Ohio State on a blustery Sunday, which saw sleet fall midway through the game. Seniors Ashley Griffith (Mt. Laurel, N.J.), Danielle Noll (Bald Eagle, Pa.) and Kimi Wong (Goleta, Calif.) were honored before the game.
The Nittany Lions (28-22, 7-11 Big Ten) looked to get on the board early when Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) knocked the first of her three singles into center field and Griffith walked in the first inning. After a strikeout and a ground out moved Bell to third, another strikeout by Buckeye starter Megan Miller (11-3) ended the threat.
A two-out single in the second by Ohio State (35-12, 14-2 Big Ten) made the score 1-0. The second-place Buckeyes tacked on another after a double to left in the second frame. With two outs and two on, Whitney Cooper connected on a pitch that went over the centerfield wall, giving Ohio State a five-run advantage.
Penn State looked to scratch together some runs in the fourth when Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) hit a single to center and Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.) pinch ran for the first baseman. Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) followed with a single to left and the two base runners would eventually move up a base on a ground out, but another grounder to second stalled the Penn State offense.
Lauren Rossi (Yardley, Pa.) laced a single in the sixth and Noll singled in the seventh to add to Penn State's seven hits on the day. The last play at Nittany Lion Field was a line out by Griffith to third base, stranding runners on second and third. In all, Penn State left eight on board, while Ohio State had four runners stranded during the game.
After the game, Penn State gathered at home and in front of its home dugout for photo opportunities commemorating the final game at Nittany Lion Field. The 36-year-old facility, which saw its 501st game on Sunday, is closing in favor of Nittany Lion Softball Park, a $10.2 million 1,084-seat facility opening in March 2011. Nittany Lion Park will be home to Beard Field and the newest facility in the nation.
Penn State will close out its regular season this week when it travels to Indiana for a two-game set starting Friday at 4:00 p.m. The regular season will conclude for the Nittany Lions on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. game in Bloomington, Ind. Both games will have GameTracker live stats coverage as well as live commentary through Twitter (@PSULionSoftball).
--NITTANY LIONS--