May 10, 2001
Box Score
Ann Arbor, Mich. -
Sometimes in sports, it comes down to match-ups. Illinois entered its first Big Ten Tournament game with Penn State at 12-8 in the Big Ten and the fourth seed. The Nittany Lions were 9-11 in the conference and the fifth seed. Penn State, however, pounded out 12 hits in a resounding 6-1 win over Illinois on Thursday for its third straight win over the Illini.
"Our team made all the plays defensively," said Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan. "We came ready to play, but Penn State got hot and just found the holes out there and put on a good offensive production on the day."
The Lions have out-scored Illinois 17-3 this year. Illinois meets Wisconsin in an elimination game at 8:30 a.m. CST Friday in Ann Arbor. The loser bows out of the tournament while the winner advances to play at 4 p.m. Illinois is 3-0 vs. Wisconsin and 2-0 against 15th ranked and second-seeded Iowa.
"We felt good about playing Penn State and had a good game plan," said Sullivan. "I think this time around we had much better at bats, so that shows we improved a little bit."
Things started out well for the Illini. Starter Kathryn Nevard (25-10) got Kelley Galigher (3-for-4, 2 runs) to line to shortstop Lindsey Hamma, who doubled the runner out at first to end the first inning. The Illini then went to work against Penn State starter Kelly Mann. Singles by Erin Montgomery (2-for-3, 3B, run) and Hamma (2-for-3, RBI) put runners at the corners with one out, but Illinois failed to score.
That began a string of eight straight batters retired by Mann. The Penn State bats, meanwhile, exploded. The Lions had the lead-off hitter aboard in four straight innings. Penn State scored three runs in the third, one in the fourth and two more in the fifth to take a commanding 6-0 lead.
Clean-up hitter Megan Humphrey did the most damage, going 3-for-3 with three RBI. After Allison Medellin drove home the game's first run with a sacrifice fly, Humphrey doubled down the left field line plating two runs.
Jenny Briz was also 3-for-4 for Penn State. Six different Penn State players had hits, including ninth-place hitter Karen Gulini, the Lion's third-best hitter. Gulini's two-out single to center field scored Adrienne Manzo and made it 4-0 Penn State.
Humphrey singled home the fifth run of the day in the fifth, and also tripled in the seventh. Four Penn State hits led to two more runs in that fifth inning.
"Everyone believed we good get back in it," said Sullivan.
The Illini didn't quit against Penn State. Montgomery tripled leading-off the sixth inning and scored on a Hamma ground out to the right side. The duo combined for four of Illinois' five hits on the day.
"Win or lose you're only as good as your last game," noted Sullivan. "It's a double elimination tournament and we're tournament tested this year. We've got another shot at it tomorrow. We have to regroup and have a short-term memory about this one."
