May 16, 2008
Missy Penna on having an early lead: "I try not to change my game according to the score. Whether it is 1-0, 0-0, or 10-0, I just try to go out there and throw my game. It is nice to have a lead, but I try to just throw my pitches."
Alissa Haber on the game atmosphere: "We were really pumped up for this game, and I think that showed. We were all just waiting for someone to score a run, and it made it even better for us when Maddy hit it because we became even more excited. It was a great hit."
Haber on playing where they should be: "We were definitely down to business, scoring runs early, but there is definitely room for improvement. Today's game was just a starting point for us. We are looking forward to getting better every game."
Penna on throwing her game: "I was a little slow throughout the game, but I was just trying to hit my spots. I tried to stay under control and throw my pitches. I want to throw my game and not worry who we are playing and who is up to bat. My rise ball was working pretty well today. Different pitches work on different days, and today the rise ball was working well."
Penna on not batting as much this season: "We only have so many pitchers, so if one gets hurt, we will be in trouble. I understand why I am not hitting. I still practice and take BP, so that if I have to bat, I will be ready. I miss it, but when we are doing the job and scoring runs, I still am all pumped up and it does not matter to me whether or not I hit."
Head Coach John Rittman comments on game: "First of all, I am very happy to get a win against a very good Lehigh team. Their pitcher pitched very well today. I thought we took advantage of some early situations. The homerun took some pressure off us at the plate and eased our hitters. In the first game of any tournament, I am always worried about how our team is going to come out emotionally. Are they going to be under control, or are they going to have the adrenaline running so much that they will be out of control? I thought today we did a pretty good job of controlling that. It helps to have the leadership that we have on our team. We know that this is just one step, and we need to be ready to go tomorrow."
Coach Rittman on the early homerun: "I thought the homerun was good, definitely for the fact that you have one run on the board against a very good pitcher early in the game. I thought, hopefully, we can take this momentum and carry it throughout the game. And I think we did that. Once everyone saw her once through the lineup, they made some adjustments, and to her credit she made some as well. I thought the homerun was huge."
Coach Rittman on not knowing your opponent: "It is very difficult to have never seen the team you are playing before. You do not know their tendencies, or how quick they are. You haven't seen them defensively field or throw a ball, so you are not sure what you are in for. In regards to pitching, I knew she was a very capable pitcher because of what she had done in the past, but scouting reports can only tell you so much. You have to get in the game and see what she is throwing and see what is working for her. We knew she was a good pitcher and we knew that we would have to bring our A-game. This game was great preparation for our team.
Coach Rittman on Lisa Sweeney's performance: "I think she did a really good job of keeping us off balanced for the most part. We scored four runs and left some runners on base. I thought she got some critical outs in some innings when we might have blown it open. She did a good job and no one has been eliminated yet, so I would not count them out."