Feb. 24, 2013
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Penn State dropped the second game of a Sunday doubleheader to North Carolina, 10-2, in six innings at the Carolina Classic. The Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-0 Big Ten) downed Iowa State earlier in the day, 9-8, in eight innings.
Penn State continues the 2013 schedule at the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla., Saturday and Sunday before heading to Tampa for South Florida's Under Armour Showcase March 5-6.
Penn State was only able to play a pair of games at the Carolina Classic after both of its Saturday contests were cancelled because of rain and low temperatures.
The Nittany Lions could not keep up its offensive pace from the victory over the Cyclones in the loss to the Tar Heels, producing only six hits. Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.), Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.), Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Karlie Habitz (Newhall, Calif.), Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) and Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.) each registered a hit apiece.
Freshman pitcher Christy Von Pusch (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) (0-2) logged 2.1 innings in the circle before junior Jordan Wheatley (Troy, Mich.) relieved the rookie in the third frame and spun 3.1 innings.
North Carolina jumped out to a five-run lead in the bottom of the third before Penn State earned one run back in the top of the fourth. After Bell singled over the pitcher's head, Habitz drove a double past the Tar Heel center fielder to bring home Bell.
Johnson added a run to the Penn State total in the top of the sixth with a home run over right field. The Tar Heels ended any Nittany Lion comeback attempt in the bottom of the sixth after posting five runs over the last two innings to earn the run-rule victory.
North Carolina's Lori Spingola (6-3) tossed the complete game against the Nittany Lions.
Bell led all Penn State batters with four hits between the two Sunday games, followed by Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.), Renwick and Habitz with three, and Johnson, Jones and Sovereign with two.