Penn State softball (6-31) split a doubleheader with Michigan State (13-23) Tuesday afternoon. The series was postponed earlier in the season due to positive COVID tests within the Nittany Lions’ program.

Game one showed the potential the Nittany Lions had if everything worked well together, but game two showed exactly who this team was throughout most of the season. Inconsistency in both sides of the field led to the two wildly different results.

Game One

Penn State got the day started with a big time win against the Spartans, winning game one 4-3.

Kylee Lingenfelter got the start for the Nittany Lions, pitching 6.1 innings and striking out a career high seven batters. She’d give up 2 runs on six hits as well. Bailey Parshall also pitched in the game, only going 0.2 innings however.

The offense was very solid throughout the game, even though two of the four runs came off of errors. Lilia Crouthamel scored on a passed ball, while Claire Swedberg scored the winning run on a wild pitch. The bats came to life too, as Maggie Finnegan knocked in an RBI single and Dani Fey hit an RBI double. Kennedy Legg, Melina Livingston, and Ally Kurland all had doubles as well.

Game Two

Game Two was a return to “normal” for Penn State, as it fell 4-0.

The offense that showed up in game one was non-existent in game two, as the Nittany Lions were only able to get two base hits. Livingston and Kurland, two of the better hitters on the team, were the only source of offense throughout the game.

Vanessa Oatley got the start in the circle. She would pitch 3.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out three. Logan Black would come one in relief, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up two runs on three hits.

Takeaways

• The story of the doubleheader was the inconsistencies that have plagued this team all season long. Sometimes, the Nittany Lions can pitch well and hit well, and that earns the team a victory. But most of the time, it is one part of the team that does well and the other side drops the ball. Game two was a good example, especially because Vanessa Oatley and Logan Black pitched relatively solid games compared to others they have pitched. But the offense responded with only getting two hits, which makes it nearly impossible to win. Those inconsistencies have to change if Penn State wants any chance of winning next season.
• It was good to see Bailey Parshall in the circle, even if it was only for a brief moment. Hopefully if she’s healthy, she can pitch longer in the final series of the season. If she’s not, head coach Clarisa Crowell should shut her down for the season and let her recover for the next one.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions have one final series left for the 2021 season when they return home to take on No. 23 Minnesota starting Friday, May 14. Two games of that series will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network: the Friday game at 6 p.m. and the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, which will begin at around 7 p.m.