After racking five USF tournament wins, Penn State traveled back to Happy Valley to play its first home game against UMBC.
The Nittany Lions endured some drought innings to beat the Retrievers 4-1.
Penn State's next opponent was Cornell, and once again quality pitching prevailed for both sides.
After earning a 3-0 lead entering the final two innings, the blue and white couldn't hold strong. The Big Red rallied to claim a 4-3 victory and put a damper on Penn State's opening night at home.
UMBC
Starting out of the gates, second baseman Mel Coombs got things off to a speedy start earning the game's first run.
Designated player Lydia Coleman and shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison crossed the plate to give the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
The defense was lock-down against the Retriever opposition in the second inning to match its offense.
The gray and white struggled to succeed at the plate, scoring zero runs through the fourth inning.
After the first inning, though, UMBC didn’t squander much of an opportunity for Penn State to close the game with its firepower.
Penn State softball pitcher Bailey Parshall pitches during their game against Indiana on Friday, April 15, 2022, at Beard Field in University Park, Pa. Penn State won 6-0.
When all seemed lost, the Retrievers’ Emily Riggs hit one out of the park to get her team on the scoreboard and keep hopes alive in the top of the fifth.
At the bottom of the fifth, Morrison rallied home another run for the Nittany Lions, furthering the gap between them and the opposition.
Throughout the game, pitcher Bailey Parshall threw some heaters at the gray and white hitters, making it difficult for them to get their bats on the ball.
UMBC couldn’t sculpt anything out of its home run, falling to the home team Penn State. The dominant defense shut down anything thrown in its direction and was fast on the ball.
With both sides doing their work, the Nittany Lions were able to keep their winning streak alive heading into their next game against Cornell.
Cornell
After winning Game 1, Penn State looked to complete the doubleheader against a struggling Cornell squad.
For this contest, coach Clarisa Crowell brought Kylee Lingenfelter into the circle. Lingenfelter came in hot, as she had not lost a game yet and led the team with an ERA of 1.38.
On the Big Red’s side, they brought in Gabrielle Maday to interrupt the Nittany Lions’ hot streak. After dropping her first two contests, Maday had seemed to find her groove, as she was 2-0 in her last couple of starts.
One thing the blue and white is skilled at is getting its opponents out of rhythm. If other teams are unable to crack the code, Penn State does.
The Nittany Lions got started early, as a Lexie Black hit bounced off second baseman Emma Antich’s glove, leading to an RBI single that put the team up 1-0.
Black came into the game scorching, as in her next at-bat, she knocked an RBI double onto the warning track, extending her team's lead to two runs.
On the receiving end of both of these runs had been Melody Coombs. Coombs seemed to be dialed in throughout the day, as she had three runs along with two stolen bases.
In the fourth inning, Penn State added to its advantage, as Crouthamel reached first base on an error, bringing in Maggie Finnegan — her team-leading 18th run of the season.
The red and white looked to mount a comeback in the contest in the top of the fifth, as a Maicie Levitt single followed by a Lilia Crouthamel error put her in scoring position with zero outs.
Infielder Melody Coombs (2) throws a ball she caught back to the pitcher's mound before St. Francis can steal a base during the Penn State Softball vs. St. Francis on Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2022 at Beard Field in University Park, Pa. Penn State won 2-1 over the visiting team
After a couple of walks, Lingenfelter had her back against the wall, having bases loaded with two outs. The fifth-year pitcher did not respond well to this pressure, as she surrendered a three-RBI triple to Sydney Stapf, tying the contest at 3-3.
An offensive attack that worked well early on, seemed to flatten out in the later stages of the contest. Crowell feels this lack of consistency is what the team needs.
“I think we just have to be more consistent,” Crowell said. “We put together some quality at-bats and were able to score runs, then we just weren’t able to do that later in the game.”
After tying the game, Cornell now looked to keep the Nittany Lions from crossing the plate anymore, as it subbed in pitcher Madalyn Covelli.
The 6-foot-2 pitcher looked to gain experience in a crucial moment of the game, as in her two prior contests, she had an 8.40 ERA.
On the blue and white’s side, it also made a pitching change, as it brought in Vanessa Oatley to stop the momentum surge from Cornell.
Early on, Oatley struggled, as a double put two runners in scoring position for the Big Red. Solid fielding kept runners from crossing the plate on this double though, as they were able to get the ball in play quickly.
After this though, Oatley's pitch hit the dirt, allowing Ella Harrod to score — putting Cornell up 4-3 in the sixth. The comeback seemed to be complete for the red and white.
Headed into the final inning of regulation, Crowell kept Oatley in the game, showing a vote of confidence for the senior pitcher.
“I trust [Oatley], she’s our senior pitcher,” Crowell said. “In hindsight, I’d put her back out there.”
She found herself in trouble again though, as a ball deep in right field notched a triple, putting one in scoring position with no outs. Despite this, Oatley worked out of the inning — leaving her team down one going into the bottom of the seventh.
With two outs and one on, it was up to Morrison to save the team. Morrison proceeded to hit a double up the middle, putting two in scoring position with the team’s heavy-hitter Black up to bat.
Covelli then walked Black, giving Morgan Farrah loaded bases with the game on the line. With a 1-2 count, Farrah hit the ball to the first baseman, getting her out and winning the game for Cornell 4-3.
Despite the loss, Crowell remained proud of her teams’ efforts.
“I liked the fight that our kids showed in that last inning,” Crowell said, “just unfortunately we came up a little short.”
MORE SOFTBALL COVERAGE
Penn State couldn’t have asked for a better weekend, sitting in the win column the entire time.
