April 10, 2010
Box Score | Archived Video
MADISON, Wis. - In their first of two games against Penn State this weekend, the Badgers fell to the Nittany Lions 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Badgers scored their sole run in the bottom of the sixth, after the Lions scored one in the second and two in the third. Senior Letty Olivarez went the distance for UW, throwing seven strikeouts.
The Badgers cut in to a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth, scoring their lone run of the game.
Freshman Shannel Blackshear reached on a single and was then replaced by pinch runner Abby Gregory. Freshman Whitney Massey then reached on a walk, advancing Gregory to second, and a fly out by sophomore Karla Powell advanced Gregory to third. Massey then stole second before Olivarez was walked, loading the bases for Ashley Hanewich with two outs.
Penn State pitcher Lisa Akamine then threw a wild pitch that allowed Gregory to cross the plate, making the score 3-1.
The Nittany Lions scored first in the top of the second, moving ahead of the Badgers 1-0. With the bases loaded and two out, Penn State’s Ashley Griffith singled, scoring the first run of the game.
Wisconsin came back with a chance to score in the bottom of the second, getting two on as Whitney Massey was walked and Karla Powell was hit by pitch. Olivarez then sacrificed the runners over, but Wisconsin was unable to score as back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
Penn State scored two more runs in the top of the third, making the score 3-0.
Olivarez threw her 10th complete game of the season, scattering seven hits over seven innings. She struck out seven batters, while giving up three runs, two of which were earned.
The Badgers continue their series against the Nittany Lions on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). After the game concludes, Wisconsin will finish their rain-postponed series against South Dakota State about 30 minutes after their second game against Penn State. Fans that cannot make it out to Goodman Diamond can follow along with the live Gameday blog and Gametracker on UWBadgers.com.
