No. 7-seeded Penn State softball (32-21, 14-10 Big Ten) took down No. 10-seeded Indiana (27-22, 10-14 Big Ten) 2-1 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday afternoon.

After a long, scoreless game, Lexie Black was once again the hero for the Nittany Lions, as her walk-off single sent Claire Swedberg home to give them a win over the Hoosiers.

How It Happened

Bailey Parshall earned her 25th start in the circle of the 2022 season and ended up throwing a complete game while giving up just one run.

After a scoreless first inning, Indiana put itself in scoring position late in the second inning. After Lindsey Warick reached first on a throwing error by Michelle Leone, Brianna Copeland hit a double that advanced Warick to third. However, Parshall saved Penn State by striking out the next batter.

After two-and-a-half scoreless innings, Penn State finally got on the board. After Lilia Crouthamel led off with a double, she reached home after another double from Ally Kurland. However, Kurland was left on base after the next two batter were unable to bring her home.

Indiana appeared ready to respond in the top of the fourth inning after its first two hitters reached base on singles. Another single from Copeland allowed the Hoosiers to tie the game up at one. With two outs in the inning, Copeland stole second, but it proved to be a moot point as Parshall struck out Sarah Stone to end the frame.

Again, the Hoosiers threatened in the fifth inning by getting their first two runners on base with no outs. Penn State’s defense responded well, as a double play left only Cora Bassett on second base. Parshall backed up the defensive stand by striking out Brittany Ford.

Neither team was able to score for the remainder of the regulation, but once the game went to extra innings, Penn State earned its win late in the eighth inning. With two outs on the board, any score by the Nittany Lions seemed unlikely. But, after two walks advanced Swedberg to second base, a walk-off single from Lexie Black gave Clarisa Crowell’s squad a 2-1 win in East Lansing to advance the team to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

A walk-off win to get the @B1Gsoftball tourney started?@lexblack__ says, "Why not?" @PennStateSB | #B1GTourney pic.twitter.com/JFUmaZIBnR

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) May 11, 2022

Takeaways

• It was another solid day in the circle for Bailey Parshall. She threw over 100 pitches across eight innings, giving up just six hits while striking out seven batters. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions most likely won’t see their best pitcher in the circle on Thursday, which means Penn State will need another one of its pitchers to step up.
• Penn State has a steep hill to climb to beat No. 2-seeded Nebraska on Thursday. However, if this team has proved anything, it’s shown that it’s resilient, so don’t count the Nittany Lions out just yet.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will face No. 2-seeded Nebraska at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 12, for their quarterfinal matchup. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.