Oct. 5, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State softball team went 3-1 this past weekend at the Virginia Tech Fall Tournament beating Liberty twice and Virginia Tech once, capping a 4-2 exhibition slate of exhibition games.
9/26 - Penn State 8, Lock Haven 3
The Fall exhibition season kicked off on Sunday, Sept. 26 at Lock Haven as the Nittany Lions faced off the Hawks of LHU. In a slugfest, Penn State captured an 8-3 win over Lock Haven, which saw the Nittany Lions put four on the board in the first inning. Freshman Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.) opened the proceedings with a double before Lauren Rossi (Yardley, Pa.) beat out a grounder for a single as the ball was thrown away scoring Sovereign. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) drew walks and Rossi scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0. Desi Giordano's (West Caldwell, N.J.) sacrifice fly brought home Bell and Lauren Yao's (Los Angeles, Calif.) clutch single made it 4-0 as it scored Mary Ostman (Northbrook, Ill.) who pinch ran for Johnson.
In the fourth inning, Penn State had a one-out double by Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.) followed by an Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.) single. Lisa Akamine's (Escondido, Calif.) grounder scored Hutchinson for a 5-0 lead. In the fifth, PSU tacked on two more runs thanks for a solo home run by Bell and an RBI ground out by Giordano to score pinch runner Rachel Myers (Millheim, Pa.). Sovereign would score PSU's eighth run in the seventh inning thanks to a Rossi single. Sovereign put up an impressive 3-for-4 day with two doubles and two runs scored in her collegiate debut. Giordano notched two RBI as well. In the circle, Akamine pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts and two earned runs.
9/26 - Bucknell 7, Penn State 6
In the second game of the day, the Nittany Lions bats came alive again highlighted by a first-inning run by Rossi after a sac fly by Johnson against Bucknell. In the fourth inning, Johnson hit Penn State's second homer of the weekend. A three-run fifth inning saw Hutchinson lead off with a single, Sovereign single with one out and Bell capitalize on a two-base error by Bucknell's shortstop to score the Hutchinson. Danee Collett (Rogersville, Tenn.) immediately followed with a two-run single, leaving Penn State down 6-5 entering the final two innings. The Bison made it 7-5 in the seventh and Hutchinson would again score, this time due to a Rossi single to cut the lead in half, but PSU would get no closer. The Bucknell game saw the debut of freshman Jordan Wheatley (Troy, Mich.) who struck out two batters in two innings of work.
10/2 - Penn State 4, Virginia Tech 0
Penn State showed a solid all-around effort in its opening game at Virginia Tech as Collett opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a home run. In the fifth inning, starting pitcher Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) struck the Hokies for another homer putting Penn State ahead, 2-0. PSU added two more in the sixth when Sovereign and Bell scored on a two-RBI single by Morgan Long (Oro Valley, Ariz.). Hill was impressive in the circle, going the distance for a complete-game shutout, striking out six and allowing just five hits all game long.
10/2 - Penn State 3, Liberty 2
Immediately following the Virginia Tech game, the Lions took on Liberty, notching a tough 3-2 win. Penn State went ahead 1-0 in the third inning when Akamine walked, stole second and was singled home by Sovereign. In the fourth, an error allowed Yao to reach base with two outs and a Giordano single continued the rally. A bases clearing double by Johnson scored Yao and Giordano and gave PSU a three-run lead it wouldn't relinquish. Akamine pitched a complete-game, giving up two earned runs with six hits and striking out 11.
10/3 - Virginia Tech 11, Penn State 1 (5 inn.)
On day two, the Nittany Lions again took on Virginia Tech, suffering an 11-0 defeat. Five of the first six Hokie batters would score and VT took a quick 8-0 lead after two innings. Penn State gathered hits from Sovereign, Yao and Johnson in the game with Sovereign scoring in the third inning on a Yao single.
10/3 - Penn State 7, Liberty 2
The Nittany Lions showed their resilience in the final game of the season as they found themselves down 2-0 after the first inning. PSU dusted itself off and bounced back in the second with a run scored by Bell on an Ostman single to make it 2-1 Liberty. In the third, Penn State knotted things up when Sovereign led off with a single and Hill hit a clutch two-out single. Akamine dampened the Flames in the final six innings, allowing just two walks and scattering seven hits without any earned runs to keep Liberty off the board. The Lions poured it on in the seventh when Giordano belted a homer to take a 3-2 lead. Ellen McNair (Niceville, Fla.), pinch-hitting for freshman Liz Presto (Bethlehem, Pa.), was hit by a pitch and a Hutchinson sacrifice moved her over to second. Sovereign again hit a single, her second of the day, before Rossi and Johnson put together singles, each notching an RBI. Myers pinch ran for Johnson and would eventually score to cap the scoring at 7-2.
Penn State normally hosts two sets of weekend games on campus during the Fall season, but due to construction at Nittany Lion Park, Penn State was on the road this year. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to begin their 2011 season on February 18 with a game against Tulsa at the FAU Kick-Off Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Penn State opens its $10.2 million facility on March 22 against Buffalo in a doubleheader.
For complete coverage of all the Nittany Lion softball this season, visit GoPSUsports.com.
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--NITTANY LIONS--