Underdog blues

No. 2 Michigan takes pair from stingy lady sluggers

The Penn State softball team took to the field as decided underdogs last night to battle No.2-ranked Michigan.

After the doubleheader against the Wolverines, the scoreboard, as expected, showed a pair of Lady Lion losses. But the close scores, 10-7 in the first game and 6-5 in the second, were all Michigan coach Carol Hutchins' team could handle.

In both games, the Lions (12-15-1, 2-3 Big Ten) knew if they were going to fall to Michigan (26-3, 5-0), they were going to go down fighting. In game one, they battled back after falling six runs down in the first. And they were able to do it without extra base hits. In fact, the highlight for the Lions was a four-run fourth inning, sparked by a series of bunts and stolen bases.

In the inning, the Lions stole four bases, including two swipes by Gulini and a steal of home by Peterson. The Lions practice their base running often, and last night it showed.

"Base running is one of the things we work on a lot," Ambelang said. "It paid off for us during the game."

In the nightcap, the Lions trailed 5-3 in the seventh inning. They abandoned their game one approach in favor of the long ball.

With one out, second baseman Allison Medellin singled for the third time in the game. Senior tri-captain Shannon Salsburg followed with a dramatic two-run, game-tying homerun over the left field fence against Wolverine starter Jamie Gillies.

"I was just thinking, especially when (Gillies) got behind in the count, she was going to throw something on the outside (corner)," Salsburg said. "It felt real nice (to hit a homerun)."

Lion coach Robin Petrini said Salsburg's blast was an ideal way for her team to get back in the game.

"I knew Shannon was due to crush one," Petrini said. "I'm glad we tied it up on that one."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, however, the Wolverines squelched yet another Lions rally. With runners on first and second and one out, Sara Griffin, the Wolverines' winning pitcher in both games, lined a sharp single to centerfield off losing pitcher Jaci Kalp. Kellyn Tate scored ahead of the throw from Lion center fielder Jodie Ricciardi to give the Wolverines their 26th win of the season against just three losses.

Petrini said she thought her team would play hard against the Wolverines, but didn't expect the Lions to stay close to Michigan in a game where so many runs were scored.

"I did not think it would be a slugfest," Petrini said. "But I did think we'd play them tough."

Against Michigan, the only thing exceeding the high run total was the Lions' tenacity.

"The unique thing about this team is we never quit," tri-captain Jen McIntyre said. "Everyone on the roster is a fighter. And it doesn't matter what the score is. We're coming out fighting."