Feb. 8, 2014
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Penn State softball team tallied another split on day two of the Kajikawa Classic, posting a 5-3 win over Bradley before falling to No. 7 Arizona State, 9-1, in six innings. Freshman pitcher Marlaina Laubach (Northampton, Pa.) earned her first win with the Blue and White, pitching 3.0 innings and allowing just one earned run vs. the Braves.
With the split, the Lions move to 2-2 on the season - the best opening mark for PSU since 2011.
PENN STATE 5, BRADLEY 3
The Nittany Lions (2-1) picked up where they left off on Friday night at the start of the contest, putting up four of their five runs in the first two innings against the Braves (0-4). Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.) drove in the first run of the game on a walk with the bases loaded and a sacrifice fly from Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) brought in Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.) to put PSU up 2-0.
The scoring continued in the second innings as Karlie Habitz (Newhall, Calif.) hit a two-RBI single to center field, sending Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) and Sam Shanahan (Seattle, Wash.) home and putting the count at 4-0.
Bradley got on the board in the fourth inning on a solo homerun from senior Alex Chandler and Penn State followed with a run on another Habitz single. The sophomore swung one into left center to bring Sovereign across the plate for PSU's final run of the contest.
The Braves cut the deficit to two runs in the fifth, fueled by another Chandler hit. The senior punched a double into center field for two RBIs.
Junior pitcher Marissa Diescher (Livingston Manor, N.Y.) did not allow another hit over the next two innings, earning her first save of the season with the 5-3 victory.
ARIZONA STATE 9, PENN STATE 1
Penn State (2-2) opened strong in the second game of the day, putting its lone run on the board in the first inning vs. the Sun Devils (4-0). Knief ripped a triple to right center and Sovereign reached first on an error to drive in Knief for a 1-0 lead.
ASU matched the Nittany Lions' effort with an equalizing run in the bottom of the first. Junior Haley Steele doubled to right field to give senior Cheyenne Coyle her first run of the game and knot the score at 1-1.
Four Arizona State runs in the second inning proved lethal to the Lions, who were unable to bounce back after a sac fly from Coyle sent Bailey Wigness home and a three-RBI homerun from Alix Johnson extended the deficit to 5-1.
PSU held the Sun Devils to just one run over the next three innings but it proved not enough as ASU sealed the deal in the sixth with three runs to end the game early at 9-1 in the sixth.
The Blue and White return to the field on Sunday for their final game in the Kajikawa Classic. PSU will face off against Seattle for the first time in program history in an 11 a.m. (ET) matchup at the Tempe Sports Complex.