April 8, 2018
By Brian McLaughlin, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Michigan jumped all over Penn State early and often on Sunday at Beard Field, scoring six runs in the second inning in route to a 11-1 win over the Nittany Lions.
"Slowly we are closing the gap, and maybe it doesn't feel like it right this second but I will re-watch it again tonight and see that," head coach Amanda Lehotak said. "We hit the ball well and to think from my first year we weren't even close. There is a gap being closed and it's not where we would like it to be but we are definitely getting there."
Player of the Game: Tori Dubois
Tori Dubois got Penn State on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo blast to left-center field. The home run was a no-doubter, and Dubois' fifth long ball of the year. She was the first batter Michigan reliever Sarah Schaefer faced on the day and just the second homerun Schaefer has given up all year.
"For her (Dubois) she has been able to heat up and her resiliency and calmness at the plate have improved. As a junior now, so she's not getting beat on the same sequence any more. Yesterday she was frustrated because she felt like she got beat on the same sequence and knew what was coming," Lehotak said. "Today she was able to make that adjustment and that's the benefit of getting older and able to make that adjustment. I was happy for her to finally get one against them."
Dubois raised her season batting average to .300 with the blast, finishing the day 1-for-2. She is also now leading the team in slugging percentage with .480.
Making Adjustments
"I thought Michigan made good adjustments, yesterday Madison (Shaffer) got them to chase more. Today they were ready for her, I'm assuming they knew we would go back to her. It's more that we really couldn't give them another look unfortunately right now. We have to rely on Shaffer and Jess (Cummings), and today she did enough to be effective not as great as yesterday. Her changeup was not quite as deadly, but Michigan did a really good job and they were ready."
In game two of the series on Saturday Shaffer shut down the Wolverines, hurling a shutout until the seventh inning. The Wolverines came out ready for Shaffer on Sunday, who also did not have the same electricity on her pitches.
"We have a very quick turnaround going to Ohio State. Our biggest thing is for us is our defense. Our infield actually showed up this series especially in games two and three, so if our infield and defense can sustain where they are at is great," Lehotak added. "Offensively we just have to find a way to put the ball in play more and find a way to take the changeup away early. We didn't take the changeup away at all against Michigan so we have to take that away to make them throw more of what we want."
Resiliency
Penn State's identity all season has been around never giving up and fighting until the last out, and the same was true on Sunday with the late homerun from Dubois.
"Obviously it was a tough day and we are disappointed we couldn't give them a better game. But the comeback is what they are all about, and always wanting to answer back. Whenever a team scores on us we always say, whether it's one or a hundred you have to get one to answer and they were just upset today that they weren't answering," Lehotak said.
Penn State returns to action on Wednesday when they travel to Ohio State for a doubleheader with the Buckeyes.