March 11, 2012
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Penn State softball team again had silent bats as the Nittany Lions lost to Rutgers, 9-0, on Sunday morning at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. Penn State returns to action next week at the Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton.
What was a tense one-run game all the way till the seventh became a nine-run advantage for Rutgers (6-10) after an eight-run seventh inning. Penn State (7-13) struggled to get the offense firing, leaving four runners on base before the Scarlet Knight offensive display.
RU got on the board in the first on three bloop singles. After a walk, starting pitcher Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) shut down the Knights getting three straight outs to keep it a 1-0 game. Akamine pitched well until the seventh when a pinch-hit triple by Ashley Alden coupled with a home run by Loren Williams opened a 3-0 advantage.
The inning unraveled from there for PSU as the Knights took advantage of a an RBI infield single and no one covering first base before an RBI single and a grand slam by Alden made it 9-0. Akamine (5-8) went 6.1 innings with six runs allowed to her record along with nine hits, three walks and two strikeouts. Relief pitcher Jordan Wheatley gave up two hits with a strikeout and a walk and three runs.
The Scarlet Knights out-hit Penn State 12-4. The Nittany Lions received singles from Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.), Akamine, Liz Presto (Bethlehem, Pa.) and Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.). Rutgers starter Alyssa Landrith (4-3) went all seven innings to earn the shutout allowing four hits and one walk, while striking out two in an effective 81 pitches.
Penn State returns to the diamond on Friday when it opens the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. against nationally ranked Oklahoma and Louisiana-Lafayette.
--NITTANY LIONS--