As Bucknell recorded the final out of its shocking 8-7 win over Penn State, the Bison bench cleared, and the players embraced like they just won the biggest game of their lives.
After dropping the first game of the doubleheader, 10-0, the Bison were off to a rough start in the second game of last night's doubleheader at Nittany Lion Field. Penn State (22-18, 3-5 Big Ten) batted around in the first inning, posting seven runs in the process.
Following the offensive explosion, Penn State coach Robin Petrini pulled five of her nine starters -- a move that provided the crack in the door for the Bison to generate enough hits to scratch their way back into the game.
"When they made some substitutions, we took advantage of it," Bucknell head coach Heather Rakosik said. "We started getting people on base in a lot of different ways. We stole bases and started hitting the ball a little bit. Once the one run came, another one came and we just kept fighting and that's what it took."
The Bucknell batters overwhelmed freshman pitcher Kimi Wong -- who appeared in only six frames the entire season -- with three runs on only three hits in the fourth inning. Bucknell then went on to score in the fifth and sixth frame to suddenly jump to an 8-7 lead.
It was only in the sixth and seventh inning when Petrini plugged all of her starters back in the lineup, but it was already too late. The Nittany Lion starters provided a threat, but they were unable to convert three walks into runs and stranded three runners in the last two frames.
Leaving a significant amount of runners on base and not stringing enough hits together has factored into Penn State's recent losses.
"When we get down, we press a little bit," Penn State sophomore Shana Madura said. "We just need to relax and hit through the ball, and it will come. We are a great hitting team. If we just string everything together, we'll produce a lot more runs."
Based on the run production Penn State put forth, it took a lot of motivation and smart plays from the Bison to accumulate enough runs to erase a seven-run deficit. For Bucknell, this win is its first against Penn State in nine years, and Rakosik is sure her team realizes what they just accomplished.
"It's pretty much a no-brainer. A team like us doesn't usually beat teams like this," Rakosik said. "I'm sure Coach Petrini didn't expect it.
"It's one of those things that's a huge, huge thing. Nothing can take away this win against a Big Ten team, a scholarship team. It's a very big thing, and it's something we should be proud of."
The Lions will need a quick turnaround period with a doubleheader against Akron at 3 p.m. today at Nittany Lion Field. After last night's disappointing upset, the players are anxious to quickly erase the loss and maintain their focus against the Zips.
"We're really hungry," Madura said. "[Today] is really big. We all just need [last night] to sink in and refocus as soon as [today] comes and just go after it. We just play to win, and we need to want it more than them."
