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April 19, 2018
PENN STATE TRAVELS TO INDIANA FOR B1G SERIES
The Penn State softball team takes its seventh road trip of the season and third Big Ten Conference road trip when it travels to Bloomington, Indiana for a three-game series with the Hoosiers of Indiana Friday, April 20-Sunday, April 22. Game one of the series is set for Friday, April 20 at 6 p.m., while the two teams will meet for game two Saturday, April 21 at 1 p.m. and conclude the series Sunday, April 22 at noon.
CATCHING THE GAMES FROM HOME
Fans who cannot make the trip with the Nittany Lions can catch all the action live by following along with live Twitter updates @PennStateSB while also following live stats at IUHoosiers.com and watching live on BTN Plus with a paid subscription.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE HOOSIERS
Indiana holds the slight 39-31 series advantage over Penn State but it has been the Nittany Lions who have taken the series victories in the past two seasons. The Blue and White dropped game one of the series in 2017 before coming back to take the next two games at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. In its last trip to Bloomington, Indiana, Penn State came away with two victories before the Hoosiers took the last game of the series to prevent the sweep. In 2017, Gianna Arrizurieta went 2-for-3 at the plate in the final game and saved the game-winning run with a diving catch.
SCOUTING INDIANA
The Hoosiers enter the Big Ten Conference series with an 18-25 overall record and a 10-2 record in conference play under the direction of first-year head coach Shonda Stanton. Since starting conference play, Indiana is 10-4 overall as it went 6-0 to open the Big Ten season sweeping both then-No. 18 Ohio State and Michigan State. Three Hoosier batters are hitting above .300 this season, while the entire Indiana offense is batting at a .253 clip. Gabbi Jenkins paces the offense with 47 hits, including five triples and 10 RBI, while Rebecca Blitz holds a .336 batting average with a team-high 48 hits. Maddie Westmoreland is the final batter hitting above .300 with a .314 batting average, driving in 38 RBI to rank fifth in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have also forced teams into making mental mistakes this season as they have stolen 87 bases on 120 attempts to rank second in the contest. Blitz has swiped a team-high 23 bags, while Jenkins has 19 steals of her own and Makayla Ferrari has 15 steals this season. In the circle, Emily Goodin and Tara Trainer have taken most of the work load, appearing in 31 and 32 games, respectively. Trainer has thrown a team-high 133.1 innings with 155 strikeouts, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
VALLEJOS SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES
Freshman Haley Vallejos came on as a pinch hitter in both games against Saint Francis and proved to do a job for the Nittany Lions. In game one against the Red Flash, with runners on first and third, Vallejos drove a deep sacrifice fly into center field to score the runner on third for the Blue and White. In game two, Vallejos stepped in in her second pinch hit situation of the night and this time drove a single up the middle for the Nittany Lions.
DUBOIS LEADING PENN STATE AT THE PLATE
Junior Tori Dubois has been one of the top hitters for the Nittany Lion offense the past two seasons and her recent move to the leadoff position has proved to be no different. The Mt. Vernon, New Hampshire native blasted home runs in back-to-back games for the Nittany Lions against Michigan State. Dubois also is hitting .400 when she is the first batter of the inning and .429 when bases are loaded. Furthermore, Dubois is 12-for-35 with runners in scoring position to hold a .324 batting average. Finally, the starting left fielder is on a team-best eight-game hitting streak and 11-game reached base streak heading into the doubleheader.
DEFENSE MAKING BIG PLAYS
Despite not being able to come away with a win against Saint Francis, the Penn State defense made some exceptional plays against the Red Flash. Junior Toni Polk caught a ball deep in the left center gap to start game one before Amanda Grieco made a big backhand play up the middle in game two to get the lead runner. Finally, Gianna Arrizurieta, Destiny Weber and Grieco combined on a run down play to get the lead runner in game two against Saint Francis.
GRIECO STEPS UP
Sophomore walk-on Amanda Grieco was given the opportunity to pinch hit with runners in scoring position against Michigan Friday, April 6. The Basking Ridge, New Jersey native dug in and roped a double into the left center field gap, bringing in both of Penn State runs against the Wolverines. The extra-base hit marked the first of her career donning the Blue and White. Grieco has since earned the start at second base and was on a five-game reached base streak prior to the Saint Francis doubleheader for the Nittany Lions. The starting second baseman had two hits and brought in two runs for the Blue and White in game one of the three-game series against the Spartans.
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.
ON DECK
Penn State concludes its 2018 non-conference slate Wednesday, April April 25 when it welcomes Bucknell to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field for a doubleheader. Game one of the two-game series is set for 5 p.m. with game two following approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.