March 17, 2013
FULLERTON, Calif. - Penn State softball split its contests against No. 16/18 Washington and DePaul Saturday at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. The Nittany Lions (7-15) outlasted the Blue Demons (13-11), 7-6, after dropping a 13-2 decision to the Huskies (21-7).
Penn State wraps up the tournament, hosted by Cal State Fullerton, with a noon ET showdown against No. 1 Oklahoma Sunday at Anderson Family Field.
Freshman Macy Jones (6-5) (Ashburn, Va.) earned her sixth win of the season against DePaul with her fourth complete-game effort, allowing seven hits while striking out four. Hannah Penna (4-5) was charged with the loss after giving up all seven runs, three earned, on eight hits against the Lions offense.
Rookie outfielder Taylor Abeyta (San Diego, Calif.) led the Blue and White with three RBI while going 2-3 at the plate with a single and a double. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) also notched a multi-hit effort, including a double in the fourth, while scoring twice. Jones, Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.), Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.) and Reina Furuya (Waipahu, Hawaii) also had a hit apiece as Penn State held a slight, 8-7 lead in hits.
The Nittany Lions struck first in the top of the second as Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) walked to lead off the frame and was replaced by Maegan Tupinio (Wahiawa, Hawaii) on the basepaths. She advanced to second as Sovereign sliced a single through the right side and the duo stole third and second, respectively, before Furuya slammed a double to the gap in left center to bring around Tupinio before Sovereign was beaten by the throw at the plate.
The lead did not last, however, as DePaul answered in the following frame with a three-run home run from Staci Bonezek to score Mary Connolly and Paige Peterson. After a quite third inning for both sides, Penn State did its most damage in the fourth with a four-spot supported by three hits. Bell opened with a double over the left fielder's head and reached third when Penna was called for an illegal pitch. Bell crossed the plate in the following at-bat as DePaul second baseman Brittany Boesel failed to field a grounder, allowing Sovereign to reach first safely. Hutchinson followed with a single before Furuya loaded the bases on an error by shortstop Allie Braden. With two outs, Abeyta unloaded a bases-clearing double to left field to give Penn State a 5-3 lead.
Bell scored again in the fifth after singling up the middle, stealing second, advancing to third on a passed ball and beating a throw to the plate from Boesel on Sovereign's ground ball. The Nittany Lions notched their seventh and final run of the game in the top of the sixth when Abeyta singled between first and second and was brought home on a double from Jones.
The Blue Demons rallied to cut the score to 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth after pinch hitter Morgan Maize belted a home run just over the wall in center field to bring around Connolly and Peterson, who both reached base on singles.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, Hutchinson helped Penn State in the right direction, hustling to track down a foul ball near the fence before Kirsten Verdun doubled to right field. Jones rose to the occasion, however, striking out Coronado before inducing a fly ball to shallow center to end the game.
Despite putting up seven hits earlier in the day against Washington, Penn State could only gather a pair of runs on a two-out home run from Bell, her 13th of the season, in the bottom of the fifth inning as they fell to the Huskies, 13-2.
Washington tallied 10 hits against Christy Von Pusch (0-4) (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) and Rachel Myers (Millheim, Pa.). Alongside her HR, Bell singled while Jones recorded a pair of singles. Hutchinson, Furuya and Sovereign contributed one hit apiece.
Kaitlin Inglesby (8-3) earned the win in the circle for the Huskies, tossing 4.0 innings and allowing five hits without a run.