April 5, 2014
3 (8-23, 1-7 B1G) | East Lansing, Mich.. - Secchia Stadium | 7 (9-22, 2-6 B1G) |
EAST LANSING, Mich.; April 5, 2014 - After falling behind, 3-1, in the fifth the Penn State softball team roared back with six runs in the final two innings to secure a 7-3 victory over Michigan State on Saturday afternoon at Secchia Stadium. Sophomores Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) and Karlie Habitz (Newhall, Calif.) led the charge for the Nittany Lions, turning in two hits each while five other Lions also registered hits.
With the win, Penn State (9-22, 2-6 Big Ten) has taken three straight victories, marking the most consecutive w's for the Lions this season. The Blue and White outhit Michigan State (8-23, 1-7 Big Ten) nine to six and stranded 12 Spartans on base.
Junior pitcher Marissa Diescher (Livingston Manor, N.Y.) picked up her second win of the season to improve to 2-4 while MSU's Valerie Kaff took the loss after pitching a full seven innings.
The second game of the series mirrored the first as each team went scoreless through the opening two innings.
Penn State got on the board in the third as Sovereign, Knief and Furuya registered the Lions' first three hits of the game. Sovereign kicked things off for PSU, shooting a single through the left side with one out left in the frame. Knief followed with a single up the middle and Furuya sent Sovereign home on a single to right field. Knief and Furuya would not find their way home that inning though as Kaff retired Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.) in the next at-bat for the third out.
Neither team scored in the following frame but the Spartans took over in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs on three hits with a pair of home runs. Kassidy Kujawa led off with a single up the middle and was sent in as Sarah Gutknecht shot a two-run homer over the left field wall. Ellie Stoffer stepped up to the plate next for Michigan State and delivered a solo shot over center to put MSU ahead 3-1 with no outs. Diescher replaced sophomore Christy Von Pusch (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) after the second homer and escaped the inning without giving up any more runs.
The Nittany Lions responded in the top of the sixth with four runs on four hits to regain the lead. Knief opened with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a Reina Furuya (Waipahua, Hawaii) sac bunt. A Hatfield single to right field cut the deficit to one as Knief headed home and Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) reached base next on a fielder's choice to put runners on first and second. Habitz drove in the game-tying run in the next at-bat, putting Taylor Abeyta (San Diego, Calif.), who pinch ran for Hatfield, across the plate on a double off the right center wall.
Kristina Brackpool (Valencia, Calif.) stepped up next and delivered for the Lions, sending a sac fly to center to bring in Jones and give Penn State a 4-3 advantage with one out remaining in the frame. A Shelby Miller (Sugar Land, Texas) base hit up the middle scored the final run of the inning as sophomore pinch runner Maegan Tupinio (Wahiawa, Hawaii) headed home.
PSU extended its lead in its final turn at the plate, tacking on two more runs. Sovereign reached after being hit by Kaff's pitch and advanced on another Furuya sac bunt, Hatfield drew and walk and Jones loaded up the bases on a single to shortstop with one out remaining. Habitz went to work once again for the Lions, shooting a two-RBI single to right field to score Sovereign and Hatfield and bring the count to 7-3.
Three Spartans reached base in the final frame but their efforts were not enough as Carly Nielsen was retired on a foul out for the final out of the game.
Penn State and Michigan State return to Secchia Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the final game of the series. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.