April 16, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Kristina Brackpool (Valencia, Calif.) hit home runs in both games, including a grand slam in the second contest, to lead the Nittany Lions to a sweep over Ohio State in their doubleh
| 7 | 6 |
| 11 | 6 |
| Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2015 | |
Beard Field | University Park, Pa. | Attn. 376
| POST GAME LINKS |
| VIDEO: Post Game (Lehotak/Brackpool) |
| Game 1: Box Score (HTML) | (PDF) |
| Game 2: Box Score (HTML) | (PDF) |
Play-by-Plays: Game 1 | Game 2
| FINAL STATISTICS |
eader on Wednesday. Penn State won the first game, 7-6, and used Brackpool's slam to help them come out on top in the second game, 11-6.
Brackpool drove in five RBI's in the second game, while Erin Pond (Lagrange, Ohio) added three of her own on two hits, one of which was a long ball.
Trailing 6-0 entering the fifth frame of the second game, the Nittany Lions plated eight runs, with half of those coming on Brackpool's shot over the left field fence.
The sophomore led the inning off with a single, before Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) got the Lions on the board with a double to centerfield. After a single by Mollie Sorenson (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.), Shelby Miller (Sugar Land, Texas) sent a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Knief and make it 6-2..
With two outs, an intentional walk to Alyssa VanDerveer (Hillsborough, N.J.) loaded the bases. The next hitter, Pond drew a walk to plate Sorenson. Shannon Good (Horseheads, N.Y.) added a pinch-hit single to drive in Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.), making it 6-4 and setting up Brackpool, who's grand slam gave her team its first lead of the game.
The slam was the sixth for the Blue and White this season, all coming within the last ten games. It was also Brackpool's ninth homer of the year.
The Lions kept their momentum going into the sixth inning, with Pond sending a two-run shot over the left field fence and Brackpool adding an RBI double to center.
Jessica Cummings (Owings, Md.) held the Buckeyes scoreless, allowing only one hit, over the final three innings of the game to help the Nittany Lions close out the victory. Cummings pitched all seven innings, allowing six runs, walking five and striking out four while earning her fifth win of the season.
Not to be out shadowed by the offensive duo of Pond and Brackpool, the junior, Knief, added three hits of her own in the night cap.
In the first game the Nittany Lion offense spread the wealth as seven different players collected hits against Buckeye pitching.
VanDerveer got the Lions on the board in the opening game, lining a second-inning home run over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1. The homer was VanDerveer's team leading 10th of the season.
The Lions followed that up with a four-run third inning, that included a two-RBI double by Jones. VanDerveer plated a run on a groundout to second and Pond singled to right to drive in Jones to make it 5-1.
Penn State added two runs in the sixth on a two-run dinger by Brackpool.
Marlaina Laubach (Northampton, Pa.) pitched into the seventh inning for the Lions. She held the Buckeyes to three runs through the first six innings, striking out three and walking none, earning her 10th win of the season.
After a pair of home runs by the Buckeyes to open the seventh, Jones entered the game and held Ohio State scoreless, including a game-ending double play which gave her the save.
The Nittany Lions improved to 23-20 this year, including 6-8 in the Big Ten. Penn State travels to College Park, Md. this weekend to take on conference foe Maryland. The series begins with a 6 p.m. contest on Friday, Apr. 17.