Penn State softball (28-18, 10-7 Big Ten) finally got to play its doubleheader against Ohio State (29-13, Big Ten 9-8) on Tuesday following two different reschedulings.

The Nittany Lions dropped the first game in Columbus, but a rally late in the second game secured the split victory for Penn State. Both games ended 4-2 with each team walking away with a win.

Game One

Penn State dropped the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. The Buckeyes were off to a quick start when they made Penn State go down in order and scored two runs of their own in the first. But, Penn State’s Liana Jones cut the lead in half in the second inning when she had an RBI single to score Maggie Finnegan, who hit a double in the previous at-bat.

Ohio State answered in the bottom of the third and fifth with two more runs to make its lead 4-1. Penn State cut the lead in half again in the sixth when Lauren Marcotte had an RBI double and was able to score Michelle Leone from first base.

In the circle, senior Kylee Lingenfelter and junior Vanessa Oatley each pitched for half of the game. While Marcotte’s hit added some momentum to the Nittany Lion’s offense, it wasn’t enough to make the comeback. As a result, Penn State absorbed the 4-2 loss.

Game Two

After a short break from game one, Penn State finished off the day with a 4-2 win.

Unlike the first game, Penn State started off strong at the plate with a single from Cassie Lindmark and a double from Ally Kurland in back-to-back at-bats. However, the two were stranded on base.

Bailey Parshall entered to pitch for the Nittany Lions and kept things scoreless until Ohio State’s Sam Hackenbracht had a solo home run in the bottom of the third.

Penn State did its best to hold on, but once again, Ohio State had another solo shot, this time by Taylor Pack. The Buckeyes held a 2-0 lead after five innings.

The Nittany Lions tried to rally once again in the top of the sixth when Cassie Lindmark got on base for the second time in this game with a double. Lindmark was able to score the first run of the game from another Ally Kurland double. Leone then laid down the sacrifice bunt to move Kurland to third.

Penn State kept the rally going in the sixth when Marcotte had a deep sacrifice fly to score Kurland and tie the game 2-2. Maggie Finnegan and Liana Jones then both got on base and a double from Kaitlyn Morrison scored the pair.

Ohio State threatened in the sixth, but no runs came across the plate. Penn State quickly went down in the seventh, but an amazing catch in center field and a double play from Marcotte in the bottom of the inning secured the victory for the Nittany Lions.

Takeaways

• Out of the nine starting players in the Nittany Lions’ lineup, seven will return next year. Such a solid foundation of young players should help second-year head coach Clarisa Crowell continue building the program.
• The top of the Penn State lineup, Cassie Lindmark and Ally Kurland, serves as a perfect spark for this offense. While it may be a bit uncharacteristic to have your power hitters in the one and two spots, it is the perfect start to Penn State’s offensive strategy.

Player Of The Day

Ally Kurland | Catcher

When it feels like all hope is lost for Penn State, you can count on Ally Kurland to get the team fired up. Just as Penn State was winding down to its final six outs in the second game, Kurland stepped to the plate and registered the first RBI of the game to get the rally going for the Nittany Lions.

What’s Next?

Penn State will be back at Nittany Lion Softball Park to take on Wisconsin for a three-game series starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 29.