April 7, 2013
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A four-run fourth inning gave Indiana its second 4-3 win of the weekend against Penn State Sunday afternoon at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington, Ind. The Hoosiers (19-20, 3-6 Big Ten) claimed the series, 2-1, on a warm and sunny day after bouncing back from a 3-0 loss to the Nittany Lions (8-23, 1-7 Big Ten) Saturday.
Penn State hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) in a 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday at Nittany Lion Softball Park before heading to Pittsburgh for a doubleheader against the Panthers Wednesday evening. The Lions resume conference play with a three-game series against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
Starting pitcher Marissa Diescher (Livingston Manor, N.Y.) lasted 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out two. Jordan Wheatley (Troy, Mich.) spun the final 2.2 frames, striking out one while scattering four hits. Indiana's Meaghan Murphy earned the win, her 12th of the season, with two earned runs given up over 4.0 innings while Brooke Boetjer picks up her second save in 2013 after tossing the final three frames.
Penn State posted all three of its runs on long balls, including a two-run blast from senior Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) and a solo home run from classmate Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.). Junior Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.) and freshmen Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) and Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) contributed a hit apiece for the Blue and White.
Indiana loaded the bases in back-to-back frames to open the game but was held scoreless with efficient defensive work from the Nittany Lions before the Blue and White struck in the third. With two outs in that frame, the Hoosiers opted to intentionally walk Bell to bring Yao to the plate. The senior connected on a 2-1 pitch and drove it over the left field wall to break the scoreless tie and give Penn State a 2-0 lead.
The Hoosiers again put three runners on base in the bottom of the fourth before third baseman Amanda Wagner tied the game with a two-run double off the wall in left center. After Wheatley entered the game to relieve Diescher on the mound, Michelle Huber, pinch hitting for Meaghan Murphy, put Indiana ahead by ripping a two-out, two-run single to center field.
The teams combined to put up five hits in the fifth and sixth innings but the score remained 4-2 in favor of the Hoosiers before Bell cut the deficit to one in the top of the seventh with a two-out home run, her 15th of the year, just under the scoreboard in left field, but the Nittany Lion rally ended there.
For the second year in a row, Yao tallied her first home run of the season on her birthday. On this date in 2012, she recorded three RBI with a homer in the second game of a doubleheader against Michigan State.
Bell ended the weekend with a .714 mark at the plate after finishing 5-7 with two doubles, a triple and a home run while posting a .818 on-base percentage with four walks. Freshman Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) followed with four hits, including a triple and HR and a pair of RBI. Yao and rookie Reina Furuya (Waipahu, Hawaii) both contributed two RBI over the series, as well.