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May 4, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Junior Tori Dubois (Mt. Vernon, N.H.) came up with the B1G hit for the third time this season for the Penn State softball team as she hit a leadoff home run in the top of the eighth inning to secure the 2-1 victory over Minnesota Friday, May 4 in the Big Ten Conference series opener.
The Nittany Lion win ended the 28-game win streak held by the Golden Gophers at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Dubois reached base twice for the Blue and White with a home run and a single, while Meghan Williams (Bethlehem, Pa.) also touched first twice with a hit and a walk. Junior Toni Polk (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) tallied a double into right field to put runners into scoring position for the tying run and Paige Johnson (Clarksville, Tenn.) had one hit for the Nittany Lions. Sophomore Christa Wagner (Plainville, Mass.) drove in the tying run for the Blue and White with a single in the seventh inning.
Senior Jessica Cummings (Owings, Md.) kept the Minnesota batters off balance all game, giving up just six hits and striking out four in the complete game effort.
MaKenna Partain led the Golden Gopher offense with three hits and scoring the lone run, while Maddie Houlihan had the RBI with a single into right field. Ace Amber Fiser took the loss in the circle, throwing all eight innings and allowing six hits.
Penn State stranded one runner and Minnesota stranded four on two hits through the first four inning of action in game one. Penn State looked to get something going in the top of the fifth inning when Williams hit a single to shallow center field and pinch runner Tori Hackenberg (Mifflinburg, Pa.) advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Minnesota used two infield groundouts to close out the inning and keep the game scoreless through four and a half innings.
The Golden Gophers opened up the scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning when they started a two-out rally with a double from Partain. Partain's double was followed by a walk and a hard-hit single into right field to plate the run and allow Minnesota to light up the scoreboard.
Minnesota got the first out of the seventh inning on a ground out before Williams reached base for the second time on a walk. Polk followed it up with a double into right field to put runners on second and third with just one out on the board. Wagner stepped into the box and worked the count to 2-2, fouling off three pitches and drawing the infield in on two bunt attempts. The Plainville, Massachusetts native placed a blooper slap single just over the second baseman's head tying the game at 1-1 for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State attempted an unsuccessful suicide squeeze and had one strikeout to end the top of the seventh inning. The Golden Gophers put two runners on base on back-to-back walks and the NIttany Lions tallied the final out of the inning to send the game into extras.
Dubois led off the top of the eighth inning with a solo home run over the left center field wall to give Penn State the 2-1 advantage with three outs to play in the bottom of the eighth. Minnesota closed out the inning and did not allow the NIttany Lions to add a security run, heading into the bottom of the eighth with a 2-1 lead.
Penn State quickly tallied the first two outs of the inning before back-to-back walks put runners on the corner for Minnesota. Cummings came up big, striking out the final out of the inning and locking up the Nittany Lion victory.
Up Next:
The Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers will meet for game two of the series Saturday, May 5. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.