| PENN STATE vs SAINT FRANCIS | | | | 20-26 (6-11, B1G) | 39-9 (12-0 NEC) |
| Wednesday, April 26 | Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field University Park, Pa. | Tickets | Promotions |
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April 25, 2017
PENN STATE CLOSES OUT SEVEN-GAME HOME SLATE
The Penn State softball team will take on in-state foe Saint Francis in a rescheduled non-conference contest Wednesday, April 26. First pitch of the doubleheader against the Nittany Lions and the Red Flash is set for 5 p.m. with game two set to start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
CATCHING THE GAME FROM HOME
Fans can catch all the action of Penn State's doubleheader against Saint Francis free of charge on GoPSUNow.com and can follow live stats at
GoPSUsports.com.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE RED FLASH
Penn State carries the 31-4 all-time series record against Saint Francis, having played the in-state foe 34 times in Happy Valley. The two teams have only met up one time on neutral territory with the Nittany Lions earning the victory at the East Carolina Invitational in the 1995 season. Last season, the Blue and White shut out Saint Francis 6-0 in game one before notching a 4-2 victory in game two. Head coach Amanda Lehotak is 4-2 against the Red Flash after the Nittany Lions split the doubleheaders in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The doubleheader against the two squads marks the fifth-straight season in which the two teams have played each other at Beard Field with four-straight seasons of doubleheaders.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST SAINT FRANCIS
Penn State earned its fifth sweep of the 2016 season when it took two games from Saint Francis a year ago. The Nittany Lions outhit the Red Flash 15-8 in the two games with a 6-0 shutout victory in game one and a 4-2 win in game two. The 6-0 shutout marked the third of the 2016 season for the Blue and White as it used nine hits and one Saint Francis error to secure its game one victory. Then-junior Marlaina Laubach and freshman Madison Seifert both tossed complete games and earned their 10th and 11th wins of the 2016 season. Laubach went seven scoreless innings, giving up just five hits and striking out three in the first inning. Seifert had a no-hitter going until the fourth inning before giving up just three hits to the powerful Red Flash offense with three strikeouts.
COMMON OPPONENTS
The Nittany Lions and Red Flash have taken on three common opponents in the 2017 season and posted similar results against all three. First, both team secured victories over Cleveland State in neutral site games before both falling to in-state rival Pittsburgh. Penn State and Saint Francis also both played a doubleheader and earned sweeps over Bucknell.
PSU WALKS OFF IN GAME ONE AGAINST SCARLET KNIGHTS
Sophomore Tori Dubois blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that would give the Penn State softball team its second walk-off win of the week in an 11-9 victory over the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in a Big Ten Conference game. The walk-off home run marked the first since the 2008 season for the Blue and White when it took a 4-3 victory over Michigan State on a Desi Giordano homer.
DUBOIS LEADS CONFERENCE IN BATTING AVERAGE
Sophomore Tori Dubois has made a name for herself in her second season donning the Blue and White. The starting left fielder is currently hitting at a .352 clip for the 2017 season and even more impressively a .490 clip in Big Ten Conference games. Dubois has turned on her hitting since B1G play opened with 25 of her 44 total hits have come against conference opponents. Furthermore, 15 of Dubois's 25 total RBIs have come in Big Ten Conference games. Most recently, Dubois drove in the game-winning runs on a two-run home run against Rutgers.
HITTING CLINIC
The Nittany Lions tallied 10-or-more hits for the 11th time this season when they tied a season-high 15 against the Scarlet Knights. For the first time in the 2017 season, every player in the Penn State lineup tallied at least one hit against Rutgers with five players tallying 2-or-more hits in the contest, three bringing in 2-or-more runs and three players hitting a home run.
NITTANY LIONS EARN SERIES VICTORY OVER RUTGERS
Despite dropping the final game of the three-game series against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, Penn State earned its second Big Ten Conference series victory of the 2017 season, winning the first two games of the series. The Blue and White notched 10 hits to mark the 12th time in the 2017 season and the third-straight game in which it notched 10-or-more base knocks in game two against Rutgers. Moreover, Penn State earned its fourth shutout of the season and its second in the week as it defeated Bucknell 1-0 in game one of the doubleheader Wednesday, April 19.
BTN PICKS UP GAME TWO AGAINST MINNESOTA
The Big Ten Network has added game two of the Minnesota series at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field to its schedule as announced Thursday, April 20. The Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers were originally slated to play a 3 p.m. contest at Beard Field Saturday, May 6 and will now play at 2 p.m. with the game being televised by BTN. Penn State opens the series Friday, May 5 with a 6 p.m. contest against Minnesota and will celebrate the careers of its five seniors on Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. Finally, the Blue and White will close out the regular season Sunday, May 7 at 1 p.m. at Beard Field. Friday and Sunday's contests with the Golden Gophers will be featured on GoPSUNow free of charge for fans who are unable to make it out to Beard Field.
ON DECK
The Nittany Lions head out on the road for the final time in the regular season Friday, April 28-Sunday, April 30 when they travel to College Park, Maryland for a three-game series with the Terrapins of Maryland.
