Penn State softball (19-20, 3-6 Big Ten) let an opportunity to win its second Big Ten series this season slip away at Purdue over the weekend.

The Boilermakers (27-14, 4-5 Big Ten) won the first two games of the series, including a five-run, come-from-behind win in the opener, but the Nittany Lions rallied in the finale to cap off the set with a win.

How It Happened

Game One

The Nittany Lions jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks three straight hits to start the game from Toni Polk, Claire Swedberg, and Chelsea Bisi. The lead disappeared after solo homers from Purdue’s Jenny Behan and Madison Douglass, prompting Penn State head coach Amanda Lehotak to pull starting pitcher Bailey Parshall after two innings.

Penn State left three runners in scoring position in the opening three innings, but finally took advantage of its opportunities in the fourth. The Nittany Lions loaded the bases for Polk and the senior blasted one over the left field wall for a grand slam.

4⃣: GRAND. SLAM. TONI. POLK

Penn State takes the 6-2 lead after the senior's first career grand slam and her 8⃣th home run of the season!#WeAre #Tribe54 pic.twitter.com/vESWwQ899c

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) April 5, 2019

Dani Fey’s RBI single gave the Nittany Lions a five-run lead to work with, and Madison Shaffer cruised through her first four innings of work — retiring 12 straight batters. However, she gave up two hits to start the seventh inning and got pulled. From there, the Boilermakers rallied, scoring five runs on Hannah Shields. Kylee Lingenfelter came in to pitch to the final batter, Kasey Wilhort, who singled for the 8-7 Purdue walk-off win.

Game Two

The Boilermakers continued their momentum in Saturday’s first game of a doubleheader. After Penn State’s Chelsea Bisi knocked in the first run of the game on an RBI single in the first inning, Purdue rocked the Nittany Lions in the second inning — chasing starter Bailey Parshall from the game with eight runs in the frame.

Purdue’s Kaitlynn Moody was sound in her five innings of work in the circle, giving up just four hits and striking out seven to keep the Nittany Lions off the board after the first. The Boilermakers ended the game via the run rule after a Rachel Krzysko sacrifice fly to get them the 9-1 win.

Game Three

The Nittany Lions avoided the sweep in come-from-behind fashion. Trailing 3-1 after the second inning, Penn State used two-run bombs in the next two innings from freshman Chelsea Bisi and senior Toni Polk, who are both tied for the team lead with nine home runs, to take the lead. Destiny Weber doubled in the fifth to add two more insurance runs for the Nittany Lions.

3⃣: Chelsea Bisi ties this game up with a two-run shot to left field!!

PSU 3, PUR 3#WeAre #Tribe54 pic.twitter.com/FzDOxLXGl7

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) April 6, 2019

Madison Shaffer was credited with the win after two innings of work in the second and third, but Kylee Lingenfelter did the bulk of the pitching in the circle — going four innings and giving up just a single hit and one run to earn Penn State a 7-4 win.

Takeaways

• Dani Fey has made a couple incredible catches already this season, but this play — a diving catch, then doubling up the runner at first base with a throw from her knees in center field — is one of the best plays Penn State’s had in the last couple of years.

DANI FEY WHAT!? #NCAASoftball #SCtop10
(via @PennStateSB)pic.twitter.com/MvqfzT8bC4

— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) April 6, 2019

• Ally Kurland, who played most of the season as the starting catcher, didn’t play behind the dish at all this weekend. Haley Vallejos seems to have inserted herself into the role, while Destiny Weber has taken over Vallejos’ spot at third. Kurland, meanwhile, took over as the designated player for the last two games of the series.
• Tori Dubois played two full games in right field in the final two outings of the series, which hasn’t happened since her injury during the final spring break tournament. The All-Big Ten senior also had her most successful day at the plate since that injury, going 3-5 with an RBI in the two-game set.
• The Nittany Lions cleaned up the defensive end against Purdue. They recorded an error-less game in the opener and gave up just a single error in each of Saturday’s games. Prior to this weekend, Penn State hadn’t had less than two errors in a game in its last five outings, including the 13-error doubleheader against Saint Francis.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions return home to take on Ohio State (23-11, 7-2 Big Ten) in a doubleheader on Tuesday. First pitch at Beard Field is at 5 p.m. and both games will be aired live on BTN.