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 [ Monday, April 24, 2006 ] Team climbs in standings, pitcher leads way in trio of high caliber wins
By Adam Michael
Collegian Staff Writer
The Penn State softball team was one "fluke play" away from sticking a Pennsylvania flag straight through the heart of Michigan, but still came away with three victories against the second and third best team in the Big Ten this weekend. The Nittany Lions leapfrogged two teams in the conference and are now only two games under .500 in the Big Ten after defeating Michigan State 1-0 in consecutive games, and stealing a victory from No. 12 Michigan by a score of 4-1. |
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Michigan had to resort to trickery to score the go-ahead and eventual winning run of a 1-0 pitching duel between Michigan ace Jennie Ritter and Penn State hurler Jenn Reynolds. With a runner on second, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins called for a bunt and steal. The batter missed the pitch, but third baseman Destinie Chavez was caught out of position to defend the steal, while preparing for the bunt. A Holly Haines toss to an unguarded third base went to the outfield, allowing Michigan pinch-runner Michelle Weatherdon to score. "It was a fluke," Petrini said. "As a coach you make that gamble of a play. Their team's not putting hits together, our team's not putting hits together, you make that call hoping that the team will make a mistake and you can score a run and that's what happened. Overall, the Lions had a great weekend. When a split would have been considered a moral victory, Penn State out pitched, out hit and out played two teams that have gained national attention this year. "I don't think teams are too surprised seeing that we're knocking off the top teams," Penn State pitcher Missy Beseres said. "We're great. We have a lot of talent. I think people should expect a lot more." Beseres was the pitcher of record in each of the three Penn State victories, improving her win-loss total to 17-5. "She's our workhorse," Petrini said. "She's answering the call and she's been fantastic." Petrini also complimented Jenn Reynolds performance as she went pitch to pitch against, arguably the conferences best pitcher in Ritter. Reynolds' most recent appearance ended in a walk-off grand slam against Illinois, but Reynolds proved she had a short memory with a 5.1 inning performance where she allowed only six baserunners and an unearned run. Even though she took the tough loss, Reynolds was satisfied. "It felt really good to get back out there," Reynolds said. "I just went out there and threw what coach called for me. She knows these batters pretty well." Ping...clank With Ashley Esparza pitching Saturday, a Michigan State batter's foul ball struck Petrini's SUV. Earlier in the game, Esparza crushed a ball to right field that narrowly missed a spectator vehicle. | ||||
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