April 10, 2013
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - After sitting through a downpour for 15 minutes, Penn State's offense posted a 13-hit evening to down Pittsburgh, 11-7, Wednesday at Vartabedian Field. The Nittany Lions (10-23, 1-7 Big Ten) used a season-best three home runs to hold off the Panthers' (14-21, 0-3 Big East) strong offensive performance.
The second game of the doubleheader was called off with lightning and storms moving back to the region. The Blue and White resume Big Ten season with a three-game series at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
Four Nittany Lions enjoyed multiple-hit days, including three-hitters from seniors Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.), while freshmen Reina Furuya (Waipahu, Hawaii) and Karlie Habitz (Newhall, Calif.) notched a pair each. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.), Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) and Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.) recorded a hit apiece.
Johnson set a personal best with five RBI and three runs and a pair of home runs against the Panthers while tying her record with three hits for the fifth time in her career. Renwick also tied a career-best with a trio of hits, including a two-RBI double. Furuya finished with three RBI and Jones added one.
Jones (9-9) picked up the win with 2.2 innings of work, allowing one earned run on just two hits. Jordan Wheatley (Troy, Mich.) finished the contest by tossing the final 3.0 innings, striking out one while giving up two runs on two hits. Pitt's Savannah King (6-11) was dealt the loss after giving up five runs through 1.2 innings.
Penn State jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings. Bell drew a walk to open the game and advanced to second with a steal before Jones ripped a single past the first baseman to bring the senior home. Johnson followed with another single before Habitz laid a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to move Johnson and Jones to second and third, respectively. Renwick grabbed a pair of RBI a couple batters later, driving a double to left center to score them both.
A pair of two-run home runs increased the lead to 7-0 in the second frame as Furuya and Johnson added to the scoring. Bell singled over the pitcher's head and scored on Johnson's homer off the top of the wall in right field before Habitz singled and was replaced at first by Alicia Walker (Los Alamitos, Calif.). In the following at-bat, Furuya sliced a shot over the fence to score them both.
Pittsburgh cut the lead to 7-5 on the strength of a grand slam from Holly Stevens in the bottom of the second, but the Nittany Lion defense regrouped to allow just two more runs the rest of the game.
In the fourth, Jones led off with a walk and moved to third on a single from Habitz. After a Furuya blooper dropped just in front of the right fielder to score Jones, Renwick loaded the bases with a bouncing single up the middle but Penn State settled for one run in the frame.
The Blue and White capped the scoring in the top of the fifth after Bell and Jones reached on walks before Johnson blasted her second home run of the day, this time to left center to give Penn State an 11-5 advantage.
Carly Thea opened the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot and the Panthers added one more later in the inning as Kaila Balatgek sailed a fly ball to left field to score Stevens, but the rally ended there.
With 13 hits, Penn State reached double digits for the sixth time this season and fell just one short of the team's season-high of 14 while eight of the nine starters in the batting order reached safely.
Bell has now reached safely in 16-consecutive games with hits in the last five. Jones pushes her career-best hitting streak to seven contests. Johnson tallied her 18th multi-RBI game of her career while Habitz and Furuya have now produced five and four of them, respectively.