In Wednesday's game against Akron, the Penn State softball team was deadlocked in a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning. In order to push a run across, Penn State head coach Robin Petrini sent in her secret weapon.
Carnie Smith, a freshman outfielder with just one at-bat this season, jogged to first base and pinch-ran for pitcher Ashley Esparza. Moments later, Smith would put the Lions on the board after motoring around the basepaths following a Kayce Zielinski double.
Penn State assistant coach Jen McIntyre said Smith's speed adds an extra dimension to the Lions.
"Not to take any speed away from Ashley Esparza, but I'm not so sure she would've gotten around that quickly," McIntyre said laughing.
Smith has pinch-run in 45 of Penn State's 54 games this season, and will probably be called on this weekend as the Nittany Lions take on No. 6 Michigan (46-5) at noon tomorrow and then again noon Sunday at Nittany Lion Field. The Lions (34-20) need to win at least one game to ensure a berth in the Big Ten tournament.
Penn State is currently sitting in eighth place in the conference and needs to make the conference tournament to have any chance at being selected for the NCAA tournament.
"We're playing for our lives this weekend, whether it's Big Tens, NCAAs, whatever it is," McIntyre said. "Penn State has been known as 'Pesky' Penn State and they're a group that's really come after it."
Baserunning figures to play an important part in the Lions' offense this weekend as runs will come at a premium.
The Wolverines lead the nation in team ERA with a miniscule 0.72 mark and surrendered just four hits to the Lions in a 6-2 win on Feb. 16 at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational in Austin.
While that game didn't count toward the conference standings, it let Penn State know where it stood when going toe-to-toe against the nation's best.
"We made four errors in that game that were costly," McIntyre said. "We were still trying to figure out where things go. You look at us on the first weekend and you look at us now, we're a very different ball club."
While she didn't appear in the first game against the Wolverines, Smith, the 2007 PIAA runner-up in the 100-meter dash, said she knew her speed would be used in a specialty role this year.
"I came in knowing that I was going to be pinch running, especially for my freshman year," Smith said. "I knew that no matter what role I played, it was going to be important."
That role will be especially important for five of Smith's teammates. The seniors for Penn State will play in their final games at Nittany Lion Field, and without a win against Michigan, it could be their last anywhere.
Pitcher Ashley Esparza, shortstop Jen Acunto, catcher Hollee Haines, pitcher Jenn Reynolds and second baseman Rebecca Bautista will each step onto their home turf for the last time.
"You come to college to play, and you come to a Division I school like Penn State to play the good teams," Esparza said. "There's no other way to go out. You want to play Michigan, you want to win, you want to do everything well. To play Michigan on Senior Weekend is always a big deal.
