April 24, 2010
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – The University of Iowa softball team was defeated by Penn State, 7-1 Saturday at Nittany Lion Field. Iowa falls to 23-15 overall and 8-2 in Big Ten play.
Penn State’s Jackie Hill kept Iowa’s offense in check, tossing a complete game one-hitter. Iowa’s Johnnie Dowling recorded the only Hawkeye hit of the game with a single in the fifth. Hill struck out nine and did not walk a batter.
Penn State took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second off back-to-back hits by Hill and Cassidy Bell. Hill hit an RBI single up the middle and Bell followed with an RBI double to the fence in right-center.
After Penn State scored another run in the third, Iowa was able to plate its first run of the game in the top of the fifth frame. Dowling singled and then stole second. Senior Lindsey Digmann reached first on a fielder’s choice, advancing Dowling to third. On the next pitch, Iowa executed a double-steal to perfection as Dowling scored.
Penn State increased its lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth, plating a run on a bases loaded walk and another on a fielder’s choice. Two more Nittany Lions in the bottom of the sixth made the count 7-1.
Freshman Chelsea Lyon took the loss, throwing 3.2 innings. She allowed four earned runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts. Senior Amanda Zust threw 2.1 innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts.
Iowa and Penn State will play game two of the series Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT).