April 7, 2001
Box Score
State College, Pa. -
Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan summed her team's game with Penn State Saturday the best by saying, "When you only get one hit, there is no need to overanalyze, you're not going to win."
Indeed the Illini managed just one first inning hit in a 7-0 loss to Penn State in State College Saturday night. The Illini fall to 33-16 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten, while Penn State is now 20-15 and 2-3. The two teams meet at 11 a.m. CST Sunday in the conclusion of the two-game series.
Erin Jones, the second batter of the game, provided the only Illinois hit of the game, an infield single. In fact, the Illini would get just one ball out of the infield all day against Penn State's Kelly McCann (13-8). McCann retired the next 15 batters in a row and allowed just one more base runner in the game, a one-out walk to Lauren Gronski in the sixth.
Offensively Penn State got all the runs its would need in the first inning. The Nittany Lions had two hits in the inning, but took advantage of two batters who starter Amanda Fortune hit by a pitch in the inning, one coming with the bases loaded.
PSU had three hits and two runs in the second inning. Allison Medellin (1for 3, two runs scored) drove home a run on a sharply hit ball on the infield, then Erin Norton (2 for 4) doubled home another run on a double to left-center field gap.
Penn State had 10 hits in the game against three Illinois pitchers - Fortune (14-9), Kathryn Nevard and Sherri Taylor.
Just 24 hours earlier Illinois rallied with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to beat Ohio State, 4-3. That wouldn't happen today as the Lions added three more runs in the sixth to provide for the difference.
Uncharacteristic of Illinois, the top fielding team in the Big Ten, the Illini committed three errors in the game, two in the sixth. Penn State catcher Colleen Kersey doubled home two runs in the inning.
"Penn State is a very aggressive team offensively," said Sullivan. "Our team has shown that it can bounce back, but we need to show up and have a big offensive day ourselves to get the win."
