Sept. 28, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State softball hosts its final games of the fall this weekend as the squad welcomes four teams for a two-day tournament at Beard Field. The Nittany Lions will play two games Saturday and Sunday. In all, 10 games are on the tournament schedule.
Admission and parking to all autumn games are free at Beard Field and Nittany Lion Softball Park, which is located off Park Avenue next to the East Area Halls.
Action kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with a matchup between Bucknell and Lock Haven and continues through Sunday evening, capped off with the Nittany Lions taking on Lock Haven at 6:30 p.m. Along with the tournament finale, Penn State will play at 4:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. The full schedule is available below:
Saturday, Sept. 29
9:30 a.m. - Bucknell vs. Lock Haven
11:45 a.m. - IUP vs. Bucknell
2 p.m. - Lock Haven vs. Saint Francis
4:15 p.m. - Saint Francis vs. Penn State
6:30 p.m. - Penn State vs. IUP
Sunday, Sept. 30
9:30 a.m. - Saint Francis vs. Bucknell
11:45 a.m. - Bucknell vs. IUP
2 p.m. - Penn State vs. Saint Francis
4:15 p.m. - IUP vs. Lock Haven
6:30 p.m. - Lock Haven vs. Penn State
Penn State split its first two autumn series, first with Bucknell Sept. 14 and again with Bloomsburg Sept. 21.
Against Bucknell, the Nittany Lions posted a seven-run fifth inning to take the first contest, 11-9, before heavy rainfall stopped play in the first inning of the second game. The rain and the Bison put a damper on the evening as Bucknell won the nightcap, 9-2.
The Bloomsburg Huskies edged out a 5-4 win in the opening game Sept. 21. The Penn State bats came alive in the follow-up contest, however, as the team jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning. The Lions kept the offensive fireworks going and eventually claimed victory, 11-0, in five innings.
The 2012-13 team, under the direction of 17th-year head coach Robin Petrini, returns Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.), both All-Big Ten selections a season ago, among a group of 15 returnees. Bell has one year of eligibility remaining and returns as one of the best outfielders in the conference and in the region. She was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection in 2012, the only field player to be voted by the conference's coaches to the first team. Hatfield, a rising junior, was a force behind the plate in conference play last season, ranking tops among Big Ten catchers in runs (11), doubles (7), home runs (4), RBI (18), total bases (37) and slugging (.607). In all, Petrini's squad returns six seniors and four juniors.