May 19, 2008
Missy Penna on adversity: "I think a big theme in our series with UMass was scoring first. In all three games the team that scored first won. I think it was a nice cushion for them in the first game and then for us in the second. It was a relief that we scored first and we could play our game without being so tight and tense."
Rosey Neill on the second game: "It was pretty much just inning number eight with a little break in between. She was throwing the same pitches consistently so it was like a continuation of the first game. Coach was positive with us in between games. He has faith in us and knows we can come out and dominate. He told us he knew we could win this game. We just had to make a few hitting adjustments. The second game almost felt as if it started in the sixth inning of the first when we started hitting and getting on a roll. We were beginning to see pitches and hit them well. We definitely kept it going."
Neill on Penna's no-hitter: "She is definitely a clutch player. She knew what she had to do and the adjustments she had to make and did a good job of going out there and getting them. If her drop wasn't working, she used her screwball and curveball. She held her own and did a good job of making something work every inning. You have to say a lot for her endurance, she pitched every inning of the series."
Coach John Rittman's opening thoughts: "I think there were two very good teams battling out there today for a championship and you have to love the competition. I thought Brandice and Missy pitched outstanding. UMass had a tougher road playing the [three] games yesterday so we might have had an advantage starting the second game. Missy is very capable and in great shape and we felt confident with her going into the second game. The first game, defensively, we didn't make some plays and you can credit UMass and their hitters for putting the ball in play but you have to make plays and we got behind. We tried to come back at the end of the game and came up a little short. In the case of game two, it seemed like whoever was scoring first was going to win and our players did a good job of coming out first and putting some runs on the board. That took some pressure off Missy and our defense."
Coach Rittman on Penna's pitching: "No question about it, Missy did extremely well. As a coach, you do not want to jinx the no-hitter, but you are always thinking about it. In the third and fifth innings, I glanced up but I forgot about it until the last inning and thought, `hopefully nobody jinxes this thang.' She got more focused as the game went on and, as Rosey eluded to, she attacked their hitters aggressively. For her to have that type of a performance in a game of that magnitude is an outstanding achievement for her and our program."