March 2, 2013
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Penn State softball couldn't find the handle at the plate and dropped its first contest of the 2013 Citrus Classic to Hofstra, 3-0, on a chilly Saturday morning at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla. The Pride (4-8, 0-0 Colonial) notched three-consecutive one-run innings starting in the second to take the decision against the Nittany Lions (3-5, 0-0 Big Ten).
The Blue and White wrap up day one of the tournament against No. 11 LSU at 12:15 p.m. Penn State takes on No. 5/9 Texas A&M and Longwood Sunday at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.
Freshman Macy Jones (3-2) (Ashburn, Va.) tossed the complete game for Penn State, allowing just a pair of earned runs on eight hits. She also struck out five with no walks in her fourth career start. Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.), Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.), Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.) and Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.) each accounted for a hit apiece against the Pride. With a double in the first, Bell extended her hitting streak to 19 contests. Renwick has recorded a hit in each game of 2013, as well, and Sovereign pushed her current streak to five games.
The Pride jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when Erin Trippi crossed home from third when the sun wreaked havoc on a routine fly ball to Bell in center field before they added to their lead in the top of the third after Becca Bigler launched a ball just over the fence in center field. A pair of throwing errors in the infield helped Hofstra put up its third one-run inning in the top of the fourth.
The Lions' best opportunity came in the third frame. After drawing a walk on a nine-pitch at-bat to lead off the inning, Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) advanced to second after Hutchinson laid a bunt down to third to get on safely. Galati guided the Pride out of the inning with a pair of swinging strikeouts before ending the inning on a pop up in foul territory to the third baseman.