Penn State softball (1-15) finally got its first win of the season against Nebraska (9-7) over the weekend. The Nittany Lions had a lot of offensive success in the win, but were mercy-ruled in multiple games before the victory.

Game One vs. Nebraska

The first of the four-game series was a quick loss for the Nittany Lions. They would only play five innings, as the Cornhuskers mercy-ruled them 9-0.

Bailey Parshall started game one in the circle, but she continued her season-long struggles. She only pitched three innings, giving up four runs and striking out four. Logan Black would come on in relief, giving up five runs in only an inning of work. The two pitchers would also give up three total home runs.

The offensive woes continued for Penn State, only managing three hits throughout the entire game. Michelle Leone and Claire Swedberg notched two doubles, while Maggie Finnegan was able to hit a single. None of those hits were able to lead to runs, however.

Game Two vs. Nebraska

The first game of the Saturday doubleheader continued to highlight everything that was going wrong with Penn State. Nebraska easily got the win, 8-2.

The offense didn’t get off to a great start, but there were some positives that occurred later in the game. Finnegan and Melody Coombs both had RBI doubles, and Finnegan also had another double that did not drive in a run. However, those were the only three hits of the game.

Kylee Lingenfelter got the start in the circle, pitching three innings and giving up four runs. She wasn’t able to strike out anyone. Black would come in for relief, also going three innings and giving up four runs, but she was able to strike out one batter.

Game Three vs. Nebraska

Game three followed the same pattern as game one, where the Nittany Lions would get mercy-ruled in the fifth inning. An eight-run fourth inning proved too much to overcome, and Penn State lost 10-2.

Vanessa Oatley stepped into the circle for game two of the Saturday doubleheader. She pitched 3.1 innings, giving up nine runs. Lingenfelter would come on in relief, only giving up one run. Neither were able to record a strikeout.

Finnegan seemed to be the only source of offense this weekend, as she recorded the only hit for the Nittany Lions. It was an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning. Another run would score due to a Nebraska error, but that was the only source of offense the entire game.

Game Four vs. Nebraska

The final game of the series was the best of the season for the Nittany Lions. They got their first win of the season to cap off the series in Nebraska, winning 7-5.

Parshall started in her second game of the series, going 5.1 innings and striking out eight. She also gave up five runs. Oatley came on in relief, going 2.2 innings but striking out zero.

This was the offense’s best game of the season. Coombs had four hits, including a solo home run. Finnegan, Chelsea Bisi, and Kaitlyn Morrison each had two hits, and Bisi and Lilia Crouthamel had two RBIs.

T4 | MEL COOMBS, HAVE YOURSELF A DAY

The freshman hits her first collegiate home run to put Penn State back up by three! ? pic.twitter.com/p15Mt67ROe

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) March 28, 2021

Takeaways

• First things first, we have to credit Maggie Finnegan. She was the only consistent hitter on the team in this series, and she managed to get a hit in every game . She also drove in two of the four runs in the first three games. She really stepped up to the plate when she was needed, no pun intended.
• On the other hand, the fact that one player accounted for half of the team’s runs is absurd. The Nittany Lions really need some work on offense, as they simply won’t be able to win games consistently with that kind of output. The pitching staff can only do so much to keep this team in games, and it affects them when the offense can’t even get a hit until the last inning of games.
• The pitchers can’t be absolved from blame either, however. Low strikeout numbers are a concerning development. If this staff wants to keep the team in contention early in games, they have to blow the ball past hitters and try and strike them out. It is not an “end of the world” development, but it’s something to watch out for to see if it continues.

What’s Next

Penn State will return home to play its first series in Happy Valley in over a year. The Nittany Lions will play a four-game series against Ohio State starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 2.