Story posted in CommRadio, Sports by Will Duerksen | Photo by Chris Machado
Penn State rode its recent momentum south for a weekend series against Maryland. While the team’s five-game winning streak ended with a loss Saturday, the low-scoring series offered several positives for the 26-14 Nittany Lions.
Pitching: A
The one-two punch of Kylee Lingenfelter and Bailey Parshall kept the Terrapins bats in check all weekend long. In a 3-2 extra-inning win Friday, Lingenfelter got the start and worked her way out of multiple early jams, only giving up one run on an Amelia Lech sacrifice fly.
Parshall took over from Lingenfelter in the fourth inning. Despite giving up the tying run on a Trinity Schlotterbeck single, the fifth-year senior ensured the game remained deadlocked. Pitching with a 3-2 lead in the eighth, Parshall finished off Maryland to earn her 15th win this season.
Saturday saw more of the same for the Nittany Lion pitching staff. Both Lingenfelter and Parshall gave up one run each, but they were on the wrong side of a pitchers’ duel. Behind a complete game from Schlotterbeck, the Terrapins took the second game.
The series finale began with Parshall on the hill, and she turned in another solid outing, giving up one run on four hits in four innings. Lingenfelter then shut the door down for the blue and white, allowing up one hit and no runs over three innings, improving her record to 8-4 with the win.
Hitting: C
While the blue and white outhit the Terrapins 18-13, it found its hits didn’t translate to runs. However, several Penn State batters had productive weekends.
Lexie Black’s two home runs, including the winning solo shot in the eighth, provided all the offense for the blue and white Friday. Black followed it up on Sunday with a game-tying RBI single, giving her four total for the series.
Maggie Finnegan was also another big contributor, as she went 4-for-8 in the first two games but scored no runs. Her eight-game hitting streak was snapped after going 0-for-3 Sunday.
The remaining Nittany Lion RBIs in the series came off a Melody Coombs double Saturday and a Maddie Gordon sacrifice fly Sunday. The lack of production elsewhere contributed to Penn State leaving 17 runners on base across the three-game set.
Fielding: C
The blue and white worked their way around two errors in the win Friday but gave up an unearned run after a wild throw by catcher Cassie Lindmark allowed Jaeda McFarland to reach third.
Parshall demonstrated her quick reflexes on the game’s final batter, as Sammi Woods sent the 2-1 pitch right into the pitcher’s glove putting the game away for Penn State.
In the second game Saturday, it was smooth sailing for the Nittany Lions as they committed no errors and had multiple innings where Lingenfelter faced three batters.
Sunday saw a mixed bag in the field from the blue and white.
Woods singled in the second with a runner on base, but an error by centerfielder Lilia Crouthamel sent both runners an extra 60 feet. Parshall got the next two batters to pop up and ground out, escaping the jam.
The defensive highlight Sunday came from the left fielder Finnegan, as her diving grab in foul ground was the first out in a clean bottom of the fifth for Penn State.
Team Momentum: B+
This weekend’s games reinforced the mantra of ‘you win some, you lose some,’ as all three games were decided by one run. Still, the Nittany Lions should be pleased with their first road conference series win this season.
Winners of six of the past seven games, Penn State is trending upward heading into its last home series against Illinois. If they can stay hot, a deep conference tournament run could be in cards for the Nittany Lions.
Will Duerksen is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email wdd5066@psu.edu.
Penn State CommRadio 