March 29, 2018
| PENN STATE at RUTGERS | | | | 5-21 (1-2, B1G) | 15-15 (0-1, B1G) |
| Friday, March 30-Sunday, April 1 | Piscataway, New Jersey | |
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March 29, 2018
PENN STATE HEADS TO RUTGERS FOR B1G PLAY
The Penn State softball team makes the short trip to Piscataway, New Jersey for a three-game Big Ten Conference series Friday, March 30-Sunday, April 1 against Rutgers. Penn State kicks off the series with a 3 p.m. contest on Friday, before playing game two Saturday, March 31 at 1 p.m. and concluding the series Sunday, April 1 at noon.
CATCHING THE GAMES FROM HOME
Fans who cannot make the trip to Piscataway, New Jersey can catch all the action live by following along with live Twitter updates @PennStateSB while also following live stats at ScarletKnights.com and watching live on BTN2Go.com with a paid subscription.
SERIES HISTORY WITH RUTGERS
Penn State and Rutgers have met on the field a total of 50 times with the Nittany Lions leading the series 29-21. The Blue and White has won five of the last six meetings, sweeping the Scarlet Knights in 2016 and taking the series win with two victories in 2017. Rutgers picked up the win in the final meeting in 2017 to avoid the second-straight sweep by Penn State. Tori Dubois and Delaney Elling paced Penn State in game one of the series, bringing in two runs each in the eight-inning 11-9 victory before Dubois followed it up with a second-straight two RBI performance in game two.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights are 15-15 overall on the season and will play their first home games of the 2018 campaign when Penn State comes to town this weekend. Rutgers is led at the plate by Rebecca Hall, who ranks fifth in the Big Ten Conference with a .381 batting average that includes 40 hits, seven doubles, six triples, five home runs and 29 RBI. Hall also carries a .705 slugging percentage and a .436 on-base percentage, drawing 10 walks and being hit by a pitch one time, while also stealing two bases on the season. In the circle, four pitchers have seen 10-or-more appearances this year with Cambria Keefer and Whitney Jones making 14 starts each. Keefer leads the Scarlet Knights with a 3.16 ERA in 73.0 innings of work, while Jones has a 3.27 ERA in 75.0 innings in the circle. Rutgers has seen its struggles with errors in the field as 27 of the runs scored on its pitchers have been unearned this year.
DUBOIS CLUTCH WITH RUNNERS ON BASE
Junior Tori Dubois blasted a grand slam against Robert Morris to propel Penn State to an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, marking the second time this season in which she has knocked in the game-winning run. Dubois hit a walk-off single into right field against Kent State to give Penn State its first home win of the 2018 season. Dubois's grand slam marked the first for the Nittany Lions since the 2017 campaign when Delaney Elling laced a shot against Iowa State, March 4. Furthermore, the junior left fielder is hitting .333 with runners on base and .375 with runners in scoring position this season.
COMEBACK KIDS
Penn State has had to work for each of its wins this season, coming back late in the contest from a large deficit to pick up its victories. Recently, Penn State came back from a 3-0 deficit against Maryland to pick up the 4-3 victory before going on to score six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning against Robert Morris to take the 9-7 win after trailing 7-0 through the first four and a half innings.
FEY POISED FOR BREAKOUT FRESHMAN SEASON
Freshman Dani Fey has been standout at the plate for the Nittany Lions since moving into the leadoff spot in the batting order in the third week of the season. Fey hit .385 in Jacksonville, Florida and carried a .556 on-base percentage, drawing four walks, while also holding a .385 slugging percentage. The freshman outfielder tallied five hits while scoring a team-high five times for the Blue and White in its five games at the JU Tournament. Since then, Fey has maintained the leadoff spot for the Nittany Lions, hitting .387 when she is the first batter of the inning. The Bangor, Pennsylvania native ranks third in the Big Ten Conference in walks with 20 and carries a .440 on-base percentage, which ranks 12th in the conference.
LEHOTAK TALLIES WIN NO. 100 AT PENN STATE
With Penn State's series opening win over Maryland, head coach Amanda Lehotak picked up her 100th win at Penn State. Furthermore, the win marked the 289th career win for the Lehotak. Lehotak is in her fifth season with the Nittany Lions, leading Penn State to a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal appearance in 2017 and a semifinal appearance in 2016. Under Lehotak's tenure, the Blue and White had its most successful season in 2016 since 2011, winning 30 games and finishing fourth in the Big Ten Conference. The team has also broken multiple hitting and pitching records in her five seasons with the Nittany Lions.
CUMMINGS THROWS TWO COMPLETE GAMES
Senior hurler Jessica Cummings pitched two complete games against Maryland, walking just two batters in 14 innings of work and striking out 12. The senior hurler earned the 8-3 win for the Nittany Lions, giving up five hits in seven innings of work, striking out seven and allowing no walks.
TOUGH BIG TEN SCHEDULE
The Big Ten Conference has become one of the most competitive leagues in NCAA Division I softball as it has two teams represented in the preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll with Minnesota coming in at No. 16 and Michigan ranking No. 18. The B1G also has three teams receiving votes to kick off the 2018 campaign. The Nittany Lions will take on both Minnesota and Michigan in regular season contests, as well as Illinois and Ohio State, who are receiving votes.
ON DECK
Penn State returns to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field for a single game against Pittsburgh Tuesday, April 3 before Michigan comes to town for a three-game Big Ten Conference series April 6-8.
