ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 9, 2002 - Senior Jennifer Tripken (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) hit two home runs in Penn State's opening game of the Big Ten Softball Tournament to lead the fifth-seeded Nittany Lions to a 3-0 upset of fourth-seeded Wisconsin. In game two, Penn State fell top-seeded Michigan, 4-3, as the seventh-inning comeback was not enough to overcome the Wolverines. Tripken's two-run home run in the top of the third inning gave Penn State a 2-0 lead against Wisconsin and also broke the single-season PSU record with 13. She shared the record with former Lion Shannon Salsburg who set the mark of 12 in 1995. Another Tripken homer in the sixth inning sealed the victory for the Lions, 3-0, advancing PSU to its second-round game against #1 Michigan. Sophomore Marisa Hanson (Victoria, Texas, Victoria) had a solid performance posting her fifth shutout win of the season, limiting the Badgers to three hits while striking out five. Tripken tied the PSU single-game home run record for the second time this season. She hit two home runs in the 8-7 victory over Purdue on April 21. Junior Megan Humphrey (San Diego, Calif./Mount Carmel) recorded Penn State's only other hit. Andrea Kirchberg recorded the loss for the Badgers. She struck out seven batters in the complete-game loss. Game two saw the Lions trail by a 3-0 count early on as Michigan pitcher Marissa Young hit a triple, scoring two runs, to help her cause. An error by the Penn State infield scored the third run of the game, giving the Wolverines the early three-run lead. Melinda Moulden added another run in the fifth inning with a single to left field, stretching the advantage to four runs. It would turn out to be an important run for U-M, as the Lions responded in the top of the sixth and seventh innings. With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, senior Susan Shuplock (Brea, Calif./Brea-Olinda) hit a deep ball to centerfield which fell for the double, scoring Humphrey, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and pinch runner freshman Steph Viola (Minersville, Pa./Minersville), cutting the lead to 4-2. In the seventh inning, Tripken hit her third home run of the day, breaking the Big Ten record for most homers in homers in the tournament, to cut the lead to 4-3. However, freshman Wolverine hurler Nicole Motycka came into the game to shutdown the Lions' final two batters to preserve the win. Despite limiting Michigan to just two hits in 3.1 innings of work, redshirt freshman Shana Riggleman (Seaford, Del./Seaford) posts the loss. Freshman Tina Skelly (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) finished out the game and struck out two batters. Marissa Young worked 6.1 innings and gave up seven hits, striking out three in the win. Tripken ends the day with a Big Ten record three home runs in the tournament and 15 on the season. The Nittany Lions play in the consolation bracket and take on #3 Iowa on Friday, May 10 at 12 p.m. The Hawkeyes were upset by Illinois in their opening game, 3-2.
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