Penn State softball (6-3) went 3-1 at the Panther Invitation in Miami, Florida this weekend to keep its season rolling.

The Nittany Lions continued their momentum from last weekend by compiling 39 hits across four games. A limited number of errors and aggressive running on the base paths allowed for key runs in some crucial situations during the entire weekend.

The team even celebrated THON Weekend from Miami by attaching yellow ribbons to its cleats.

Game One vs. Cleveland State

The Nittany Lions opened up the weekend tournament with a 4-2 win over Cleveland State.  

After falling behind through the first four innings, sophomore Mel Combs got into scoring position with a walk and a stolen base. Three hits from both Ally Kurland and Michelle Leone gave Penn State three runs in the final three innings. 

Senior pitcher Kylee Lingenfelter also had three strikeouts in the fifth and sixth inning to prevent the Vikings from coming back and tying the game.

Game Two vs. FIU

Rolling onto their second game Friday, Penn State racked up 12 hits for the 7-0 win against the Panthers. The team had a home run, four doubles, and a single in their huge offensive outing. Lauren Marcotte led this lineup with three hits and four RBIs. 

Bailey Parshall also carried the team to a win with her first career-perfect game. This was Penn State’s first perfect game since 2005 and only the fifth in program history.

Game Three vs. Buffalo

In the final game of pool play, Penn State lost 5-3 despite having seven hits. The first inning was tied up 1-1, but Penn State was never able to take the lead. 

Buffalo had a two-run home run in the third and added two more runs in the top of the sixth to distance the score 5-2. Penn State scored one more in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough.

Freshman Lydia Spalding also made her first appearance in the circle and recorded her first career strikeout. At the plate, the firsts continued with Lexie Black and Cassie Lindmark hitting their first career home runs as Nittany Lions.

Game Four vs. Cleveland State

Game four was canceled due to inclement weather.

Game Five vs. FIU

After a canceled fourth game, Penn State entered the final game of the weekend as the one seed in bracket play and walked away victorious with a 10-0 win.

In what would have been the second rematch of the weekend, the Nittany Lions came out hot on offense. By the second inning, hits from Ally Kurland, Cassie Lindmark, Lauren Marcotte, and Michelle Leone made the score 3-0 for Penn State.

The bats continued to stay alive once again with 10 hits translating to 10 runs and a mercy rule win in five innings to finish out the weekend. Ally Kurland sealed the deal with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth.

Takeaways

• When it comes to pitching, Bailey Parshall is still top-tier. She had her first career perfect game and only the fifth in Penn State’s history against FIU. Along with that, she recorded 13 strikeouts in three appearences.
• Something about that Florida air made the bats come alive when Penn State had 39 hits over the course of the weekend. The power that came from the plate is able to take that pressure off of the defense and allows for less stress all around the field.
• Keeping fielding errors to a minimum has been key to finding wins for the Nittany Lions. This weekend, the defense only had one error and it clearly showed in their runs against. By only allowing seven runs in four games, Penn State was really able to show off all of their skills its players have been working on over the offseason.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will travel down south to Georgia once again to play in the 1-75 Challenge starting Friday. They will take on Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, and Georgia State in the five-game schedule.