March 3, 2012
Box Scores: Penn State 5, N.C. State 3 | Penn State 4, Lipscomb 3
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Nittany Lion softball team (5-7) gutted out two wins on Saturday afternoon at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex, beating North Carolina State, 5-3 and rallying to defeat Lipscomb, 4-3. Senior Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) shined, going 10.1 innings with 14 strikeouts and earning two victories on the day. Shortstop Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.) went 4-for-7 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.) had a combined 3-for-6 day with two RBI to pace Penn State at the plate.
PENN STATE 5, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 3
The Nittany Lions won back-to-back games for the first time in 2012 when they defeated North Carolina State, 5-3, on Sunday at the Citrus Classic. Akamine picked up the complete game victory for Penn State
Penn State (4-7) opened a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Hatfield chopped a single to leftfield, scoring Renwick from second base. PSU went on to leave two on base in the opening frame.
The Nittany Lions tacked on a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the third on Renwick's single to rightfield. Akamine scored from third, while Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.) was held at third. On the very next pitch Renwick bolted for second and Hutchinson scampered home to open a three-run margin in favor of Penn State.
N.C. State (9-9) answered in the top of the third with two runs of its own as NCSU's Bethany Wells belted a two-run double to leftfield to make it 3-2 Penn State.
Penn State responded in the bottom of the fourth, scoring on Alyssa Sovereign's (La Canada, Calif.) bloop single behind third base that wasn't corralled by Redada Davis. The ball rolled into foul territory as Danee Collett (Rogersville, Tenn.) scored from second. In the fifth, Liz Presto's (Bethlehem, Pa.) two-out double to left-centerfield scored Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) from first base for a 5-2 Nittany Lion advantage.
N.C. State scored once in the seventh, but Akamine closed out the game with three straight strikeouts to put away the Wolfpack. Akamine improved to 2-4 on the season, allowing two earned runs on five hits and seven walks, while striking out a season-high nine batters.
Penn State improved to 2-3 all-time against the Wolfpack and picked up its first win over an ACC opponent this season (1-2). The Nittany Lions tallied eight hits with Renwick's pair leading the way.
PENN STATE 4, LIPSCOMB 3
Penn State (5-7) stormed back from a two-run deficit in the final inning, scoring three times to down the Lipscomb Bison (8-5), on Saturday night at the Citrus Classic. Sovereign and Renwick each tallied two hits for the Nittany Lions to overcome the Bison. Penn State won for the third straight time.
Down to its final three outs with Lipscomb leading 3-1, Hutchinson started the rally with a walk. Sovereign laced a double to leftfield to move Hutchinson to third. Renwick singled to center under the reach of LU's Bree Thurman, which allowed Sovereign to score from second and tie the game at three.
Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) walked on the next at-bat to move Renwick to second with no outs. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base before Hatfield struck out before a ground out by Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.). Morgan Long (Oro Valley, Ariz.) sent a clutch hit to the middle of the diamond that forced a diving stab by Lipscomb, but Renwick scampered home and Long's RBI singled proved to be the difference.
Akamine took home the victory, holding off the Bison charge as the third Penn State pitcher of the night. Akamine improved to 3-4, going 3.1 innings on Saturday night, allowing a lone hit and one single with five strikeouts.
Penn State took the lead 1-0 in the top of the first when Hatfield singled home Renwick from second. Renwick reached on a walk and a stolen base to set up the run. Lipscomb responded with single runs in the first, second and third innings for a 3-1 lead after three complete innings.
Penn State and Lipscomb each tallied nine hits on the evening. Lipscomb left nine on base, while Penn State left eight as the Lions prevailed on late hitting and clutch pitching from the arm of Akamine. The senior right-hander won two games on the same day for the first time since a doubleheader home sweep of Buffalo on Apr. 14, 2011.
Penn State returns to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday to face No. 19 Auburn (11:15 a.m.) and Illinois State (2:30 p.m.). Live stats will be provided through GoPSUsports.com's GameTracker with updates on Twitter (@PSULionSoftball) and Facebook (PennStateSoftball).
--NITTANY LIONS--