April 8, 2011
Game Notes | 2011 Yearbook | Nittany Lion Softball Park | Twitter
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State returns to Beard Field for two games when it hosts Indiana Saturday (5:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.). Both matchups will have streaming audio through Penn State All-Access and Sunday's battle will be on 1390 AM WRSC. Both games will have live stats coverage through GameTracker and commentary on Twitter (www.twitter.com/PSULionSoftball).
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (18-14, 4-2 Big Ten)
Games #33-34 •â€ˆApril 9-10 • Nittany Lion Softball Park• University Park, Pa.
| Date | Opponent | Media |
| Saturday, 5:00 p.m. | Indiana | | All-Access |
| Sunday, 1:00 p.m. | Indiana | | 1390 AM WRSC | All-Access |
TICKET & MEDIA CREDENTIAL INFORMATION
Penn State will be charging an admission price of $5 for general seating and PSU students with valid identification will earn free entry. Additionally, groups of 15 or more will be charged a reduced fee of $3 per person. Fans will have two ways of purchasing tickets--at the Nittany Lion Softball Park ticket office on game days and the Bryce Jordan Center box office--to all softball games this year. Nittany Lion Softball Park and its ticket office will open one hour prior to first pitch on all game days. All media that requested credentials for game days may pick up their credentials at Nittany Lion Softball Park ticket office as well. All credential requests are to be made 24 hours in advance of any game to Jeremy S. Fallis of Penn State Athletic Communications at jsf16@psu.edu.
More information: 2011 Nittany Lion Softball Park Ticket Information
Detweieler: Jackie Hill Making HistoryJackie Hill is not your average collegiate softball pitcher. In fact, the 5-foot-8 redshirt senior from San Jose, Calif., is one of those athletes that seem to excel in everything that she does. Hill made her debut appearance for the Nittany Lions in 2006 and has been putting up huge numbers in the circle ever since. Read More |
GAME STORIES
•â€ˆPSU returns home for the first of six-straight home games vs. Indiana, Kent State & Buffalo
• Penn State looks to improve upon 27-22 overall record vs. Indiana
• Nittany Lions are 17-5 all-time in Happy Valley against the Hoosiers
• PSU won only meeting last season, 3-2, in 12 innings before rain ended the series early
• Lions coming off mid-week split at Michigan State where Penn State's bats scored 14 runs, 21 hits and hit three homers against the Spartans
• Nittany Lions currently rank 35th in the latest RPI with a 5-8 record against Top 50 opponents
• Slugger Kailyn Johnson leads PSU in Big Ten play with 2 HR and 8 RBI
• Cassidy Bell leads the team in average (.316), runs (15), hits (31), doubles (9), homers (5), RBI (20), stolen bases (6) and slugging (.602)
GAME NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Nittany Lion softball team was powered to a first-game victory over Michigan State, 8-6, by a Cassidy Bell grand slam before dropping the second game, 7-6, at Secchia Stadium on a damp and cold Wednesday afternoon. The second game was called due to darkness after five innings despite a furious five-run Penn State rally. PSU trailed 3-1 in the opening game before a Bell gave the Lions a lead they'd never relinquish. The nightcap was a wild game as the matchup pushed up against the fading light as PSU stared a 6-1 deficit in the face. Home runs by Kailyn Johnson and Lauren Yao lifted the Nittany Lions into a tie before a fifth-inning homer gave the Spartans the lead again and the game was called following the inning's conclusion. Both Bell and Johnson went 4-for-7 with 4 RBI and two runs scored, while Alyssa Sovereign went 4-for-6 with two RBI.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS: Indiana (20-15, 2-2 Big Ten) enters this weekend following a 1-0 defeat at Louisville on Wednesday and a doubleheader split at then-No. 3 Michigan on Saturday, Apr. 2. The Hoosiers are paced by All-American pitcher Morgan Melloh, who transferred from Fresno State a year ago. Melloh is 16-14 with a 2.09 ERA and is ranked second in the nation with 278 strikeouts. The senior hurler is holding opposing batters to just .186 hitting, giving Indiana a chance to win every ballgame. At the plate, IU is hitting .254 as a team led by lead-off hitter Breanna Saucedo (.345, 40 H, 12 SB) and slugger Sara Olson (.347, 7 2B, 7 HR, 26 RBI). The Hoosiers are currently ranked 40th in the latest NCAA RPI, putting IU in serious contention for an NCAA at-large berth.
Indiana's pitching staff history vs. Penn State can be found in the game notes.
BIG TEN BATS: The Penn State offense has come alive in Big Ten play as the Nittany Lions have hit 63 points above its cumulative season average (.284 in conference, .221). Additionally, PSU's power numbers are up as well, 127 points in slugging (.439, .312) and 191 points in OPS (.797, .606). Additionally, Penn State has smashed five of the team's 14 homers during conference play, which spans just six games, while the nine non-conference dingers came in 26 games. PSU is scoring at a clip of 5.17 runs a game vs. 1.85 runs a game in non-conference play. Kailyn Johnson and Cassidy Bell have led the surge as the duo has combined for 20 hits, 11 runs, four doubles, a triple and three homers along with 15 RBI and 35 total bases. Alyssa Sovereign has also played well in her inaugural Big Ten campaign with a .421 average with two runs, two doubles and five RBI. Penn State's hitting has also become more efficient at the plate as the Nittany Lions' strikeout ratio per at-bat has diminished. In non-conference play, PSU struck out 25 percent of its at-bats, while in Big Ten action that percentage is down to 15.
ILLINOIS RECAP: Undone by two errors in the first inning, Penn State found itself down 2-0 early to the Fighting Illini on Saturday, Apr. 2. The Nittany Lions responded quickly with a four-run fourth inning highlighted by an RBI single from Lisa Akamine to tie the game and a two-run home run by Kailyn Johnson to put Penn State up for good. Jackie Hill tossed a gem in the circle, going the distance while not allowing an earned run and scattering five hits and two walks to accompany the 10-strikeout performance, the most she's thrown in a Big Ten game. The victory not only improved PSU to 3-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2000, but Hill became the all-time wins leader in Nittany Lion history. PSU also won its first game in Urbana since 2004. Sunday, Apr. 3 didn't go as well as Illinois broke open a 2-1 game in the second with a five-run barrage en route to a 12-2 win. The Nittany Lions were paced by Cassidy Bell and Johnson, neither of whom got out on Sunday, going a combined 3-for-3 with two walks and the team's lone RBI.
PITTSBURGH RECAP: Penn State ran into a hot Pittsburgh Panther squad Tuesday, Mar. 29, as Pitt inaugurated Vartabedian Field at the Petersen Sports Complex. The Panthers gained an early unearned run in the third inning before Cassidy Bell singled home Rachel Myers to knot the game in the fifth. Right-handed hurler Lisa Akamine couldn't hold the Panthers at bay as Pitt scored a walk-off run in the seventh inning, tagging Akamine with the loss despite a solid outing. Akamine struck out six, scattered six hits and walked three to fall to 6-6 on the year. In Game Two, Pittsburgh pitcher Karlyn Jones retired the first 16 Nittany Lions and carried a no-hitter through 5.2 innings, but Bell struck again bombing a 2-2 pitch for a 2-0 PSU lead. Jackie Hill fired her fifth shutout of the year with a career-high 12 strikeouts while giving up just four hits and walking none to capture career win No. 53, tying her with Missy Beseres for most in PSU history. Bell went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI for the Nittany Lions.
BIG TEN/INAUGURAL OPENER RECAP: Penn State played in the highest-scoring game of the year in the inaugural opener of Beard Field and Nittany Lion Park on Saturday, Mar. 26, as the Lions won 8-5 over Wisconsin. Penn State fought back from a three-run deficit keyed by an inside-the-park homer by Lisa Akamine in the fifth to tie it and a three-run sixth inning to clinch the victory. Akamine was also instrumental in keeping the Badgers off the board as she pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless and hitless ball. The sixth-inning rally was started by an Alyssa Sovereign double to lead off and a Kasie Hatfield single put PSU ahead 6-5 with one out. Cassidy Bell doubled home two more runs to cap her 2-for-4 day. The next day, the game belonged to Bell as she doubled in both her first two at-bats before being walked in the final two. Penn State held a 1-0 lead before a solo homer by Wisconsin in the fourth tied the game up before the Badgers scored a run in the top of the eighth for a momentary lead. Bell earned first on a five-pitch walk, eventually scoring from third on a passed ball to tie the game. The next batter was Sovereign and she laced a single to left to score Shannon Hutchinson to give Penn State the 3-2 walk-off win, the first for PSU in 2011. The two comeback victories were just the second and third of the year.
Jackie Hill and Alyssa Renwick with Bill Beard. |
QUEEN OF THE HILL:  The past week has been historic for Jackie Hill and Penn State softball as the redshirt-senior set the new school record for career victories in dazzling performances against Pittsburgh and Illinois. Hill struck out a career-high 12 at Pitt in a 2-0 shutout victory to tie Missy Beseres (2002-06) at win No. 53, before downing 10 Illini in a 4-2 victory for win No. 54. Against Illinois this weekend she upped her career strikeout total to 600, moving her into second all-time behind Beseres (745) at Penn State.
BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS: Penn State softball student-athletes Lisa Akamine and Cassidy Bell were recognized by the Big Ten Conference for their efforts in the Nittany Lion sweep of Wisconsin (Mar. 26-27). Akamine was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, while Bell took home Co-Player of the Week honors with Liz Watkins of Iowa. Akamine allowed a lone hit in 8.2 innings of work while winning Saturday's inaugural game at Beard Field for the Nittany Lions and starting Sunday's victory against Wisconsin. Akamine proved instrumental in the win over the Badgers on Saturday, coming in relief to earn the win while pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless and hitless softball. The award was Akamine's second having won it similar honors on Mar. 29, 2010. Bell captured her first Big Ten weekly honor as Co-Player of the Week for her four-double effort against the Badgers this weekend. The sophomore centerfielder was only retired once all weekend by the Wisconsin pitching staff as she hit .667 with two RBI and game-tying run on Sunday in the eighth inning. Bell added two stolen bases and two runs scores as Wisconsin failed to get her out on Sunday during PSU's 3-2 victory. The last Nittany Lion to take home Player of the Week honors was Danielle Kinley on Feb. 13, 2007.
RPI UPDATE: Penn State sits in 44th place in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (Mar. 28), the primary tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Last week the Nittany Lions were 47th and Penn State has a 4-7 record against the Top 50, including a 2-4 mark vs. Top 25 foes. Illinois is rated 33rd while fellow Big Ten opponents Michigan (7th), and Northwestern (37th) are join PSU and Illinois in the Top 50. Penn State still faces battles with Longwood (60th), Purdue (61st), Michigan State (64th), Iowa (71st) and Minnesota (92nd).
For the rest of the team's recaps this season, check the complete game notes
BUZZ CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Penn State had one representative, Jackie Hill, on the 10-person Buzz Classic All-Tournament Team. Hill went a perfect 2-0 during the weekend, allowing just two earned runs against Jacksonville State, while shutting out Massachusetts.
MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU: Senior co-captain Desi Giordano climbed up the record books on Feb. 18 with a long bomb to left field, her first of the season and 20th in her career. The homer moved Giordano into a tie for fourth all-time at Penn State with Jen Acunto (2005-08). Giordano is just three off from matching Jennifer Tripken (1999-2002) and five from Ashley Esparza (2005-08) from third and second, respectively. PSU's all-time home run leader is Shannon Salsburg who belted 34 from 1995-98.
BIG LIFE. BIG STATE. BIG TEN NETWORK: Four Penn State softball games will be televised live by the Big Ten Network in 2011. PSU's doubleheader will be the live TV debut of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field when Penn State plays host to Michigan on Apr. 20. The doubleheader starts at 5:30 p.m. against the defending Big Ten champs. A third home contest will be aired May 1 against Purdue at Noon while a lone away game, vs. Iowa, will be shown May 8 at 2:00 p.m. All game times are Eastern. In addition to the live schedule, the Nittany Lions will be apart of several BigTenNetwork.com streaming productions, which are run through the Big Ten Network's Student U initiative. Many of those games are shown on the Network the following day in a tape delay fashion after their live stream. Penn State will have two such series on BTN.com as Kent State and Northwestern games at Penn State will be on there.
PSULIONSOFTBALL ON TWITTER: Nittany Lion softball is now on Twitter. Keep up to date with inside information and exclusive access @PSULionSoftball.
NEXT SERIES: Penn State has a busy week ahead as the Nittany Lions host two mid-week non-conference doubleheaders against Kent State (Wed.) and Buffalo (Thurs.) at Beard Field. The KSU series will be featured on BigTenNetwork.com.
--NITTANY LIONS--