Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Closes Regular Season at Penn State
5/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 12, 2011
Northwestern's Penn State Series Game Notes (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern closes the 2011 regular season with a road trip to Penn State this Friday and Saturday, May 13-14. First pitch for Friday's game is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. local time while Saturday's game is slated for a noon CT/1 p.m. local time start. Both games will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com in high-definition video fashion.
The Wildcats head to visit the Nittany Lions after getting healthy in a number of respects last weekend against then-Big Ten-leading Indiana. On Senior Day Sunday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, senior pitcher Jessica Smith scattered four hits and gave up just a first-inning run during a complete-game effort. She held the Hoosiers in check until freshman Marisa Bast delivered the big blow, a fifth-inning grand slam to complete a 4-1 victory over IU. The NU win snapped Indiana's nation-best 15 game winning streak entering the game.
Bast is hitting .375 in her last 16 games played and has moved up to serve as protection for All-Everything first-baseman Adrienne Monka, who now leads the nation in on-base percentage by more than .100 points with her .724 mark. She has walked 1.53 times per game this year, a number which is the second highest in NCAA history. Bast has 17 RBIs in her last 14 games, causing folks to think twice about avoiding Monka.
Northwestern remains on pace to break its school record for batting average this year, currently ranking among the best in the nation with a .308 mark. NU's mark is helped by multiple 'Cats turning in career-best averages this year, including Monka (.488), sophomore Emily Allard (.487), Thompson (.362) and senior Jordan Wheeler (.304).
In the classroom, senior Robin Thompson was named a Capital One Academic All-District V first-team selection last Friday, adding another accolade to her collection that already includes a pair of Academic All-Big Ten nods and a 2010 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honor.
(For Northwestern's complete Penn State series game notes package, download the .pdf at the top of this page.
THE BROADCASTS
Both games in this series will be streamed live in high definition on BigTenNetwork.com. The broadcasts are available on a pay-per-view basis.
SCHARK BYTES BLOG
Don't miss out on the best student-athlete blog on the internet today! Be sure to read sophomore Kristin Scharkey's Schark Bytes blog!
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