Penn State softball (14-13) split its doubleheader with Robert Morris on Wednesday, dropping the first game of a doubleheader before going off in the second with a run-rule win after five innings.

The Colonials (4-16) used a solid pitching performance in the opening game, but got beaten down with 10 runs and three homers in a single inning of that follow-up matchup.

How It Happened

Game One

The Colonials jumped ahead from the start with a pair of unearned runs after two errors and two hits in the top half of the first. Penn State freshman pitcher Bailey Parshall started the game, but was pulled after loading the bases and conceding another run in the fourth. Fellow freshman Kylee Lingenfelter gave up just a single run off a walk when she first came in, but the damage was already done.

The Nittany Lions left five runners in scoring position throughout the game as Robert Morris starting pitcher Dana Vatakis consistently got out of jams. The team forced three double plays and she conceded just one run on a Ally Kurland double in the sixth to secure a 4-1, Robert Morris win.

Game Two

After taking a 1-0 first inning lead, the Nittany Lions unleashed in the third inning — scoring 10 runs off eight hits, including three home runs from freshmen Chelsea Bisi, Ally Kurland, and Claire Swedberg. With the dingers, both Bisi and Kurland both moved to eight-game hit streaks.

Junior transfer Hannah Shields, who’s a State College native, made her home debut for the Nittany Lions. She lived up to her NCAA-leading walks allowed per seven innings stat, not giving up a single free pass and retiring 15 of the 18 batters she faced in an 11-0 mercy rule win.

Takeaways

• Tori Dubois returned to action after missing the final three games of the spring break trip. She was wearing a soft cast on her arm and didn’t play in the field. She went 0-4 in the doubleheader and was hit by a pitch twice, scoring two runs.
• Despite a solid start to the year, Penn State is ranked No. 155 in the first RPI ranking of the season — worst in the Big Ten and third worst in the Power Five. It’s not a huge surprise with the Nittany Lions’ strength of schedule. They’ve registered a 2-8 record against Top 100 teams and have played just two inside the top 50.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions open Big Ten play this weekend on the road against Michigan State (10-16). Weather could play a factor in the schedule with a morning flurry forecasted for Friday in East Lansing, but the opening game of the series is scheduled for that Friday at 3:30 p.m., with the next two games of the series on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.