Penn State softball (7-3) suffered three losses through five games in the Queen City Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Nittany Lions opened the tournament with two over Charlotte and Kent State but fell to Georgia Tech and Boston University.

The offensive power once again took control of the weekend, but it just wasn’t enough to secure a winning record.

Game One

Starting off the tournament, the Nittany Lions defeated Charlotte 3-0.

There was no score in the first two innings, but that all changed when Lilia Crouthamel scored off a hit from Lexie Black. Penn State scored again in the fourth inning when Kaitlyn Morrison blasted a ball over the left-field fence and Melody Coombs scored on a squeeze play after hitting a double herself.

Bailey Parshall then entered the game and notched seven strikeouts in four innings to earn Penn State its fifth straight shutout of the season.

Game Two

For the second game, Penn State finished early in six innings for an 11-2 win against Kent State.

The bats were hot from the beginning of this game as the Nittany Lions went up 2-0 in the first inning. This hot streak continued in the second inning when Coombs scored and Crouthamel followed soon after from a wild pick-off throw. Freshman Kathryn Rex also sent a home run to left field in the third, and put Penn State up 5-0.

B 3: BOOM BOOM REX

KT gives another fan a souvenir as she launches one says bye-bye to the left field wall.

Nittany Lions lead 5-0! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/muE6fdfWrZ

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) February 24, 2023

But, Kent State’s Emily Lippe got a home run off of Parshall to hand Penn State its first earned run of the year.

This didn’t matter, though, as the Nittany Lions bounced back and scored three more in the fifth and another three in the sixth from a Black homerun to finish off the game 11-2.

Game Three

Day two saw the Nittany Lions get their first loss of the season to Georgia Tech 7-6.

The game started tight with a 1-1 score after the first inning, but the Yellow Jackets came right back. Kylee Lingenfelter then came into the game to help out starter Vanessa Oatley, but back-to-back walks started the charge and Georgia Tech went up 3-1.

Penn State scored another in the fourth inning when Morrison brought home Maddie Gordon, but the Yellow Jackets once again came out with the bats and earned a triple and a two-run home runs to lead by four.

T 4: Kaitlyn Morrison singles and brings Maddie Gordon home!

Penn State cuts the lead to one! #WeAre #Comeback pic.twitter.com/Jbfz6wzRu9

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) February 25, 2023

A solo home run from Liana Jones and a three-run shot from Cassie Lindmark once again tied the game at six.

Despite the effort, Georgia Tech’s Sara Beth Allen secured a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 7-6.

Game Four

The second loss of the day came at the hands of Boston University by a score of 4-0.

BU was first on the board with a 2-0 lead in the first inning but neither side could score until the sixth.

The Terriers scored two more in the sixth inning, and the Nittany Lions were unable to match it and lost 4-0.

Game Five

The final game of the tournament resulted in another loss to Boston University. This time by a score of 7-5.

The Nittany Lions started on top to open the game and secured a two-run home run from Jones and a solo shot from Morrison, which gave Penn State the 3-0 lead.

B 1: THEY CAME READY!

Liana Jones with a two run blastto start the game off

PSU 2⃣-0#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ArJQTzdTMP

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) February 26, 2023

The Terriers answered with three runs of their own in the third inning to tie the game, but Rex sent a ball over the fence to regain the lead in the bottom of the third.

No runs were scored in the fourth inning, but BU tied the game from a wild pitch. They then took the 5-4 lead off a hit. Lauren Marcotte brought the Nittany Lions right back in the bottom of the inning, scoring Lydia Coleman from a double.

Ultimately, the Terriers had another two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth that would solidify the win after no runs were scored from Penn State in the seventh.

The Nittany Lions finished the weekend 2-3.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions added another tournament to their schedule following the cancellation of the Coastal Carolina Tournament. Penn State will now travel to the Pirate-Spartan Classic in Hampton and Norfolk, Virginia, to face George Washington, Hampton, Norfolk State, and Delaware. The first game against George Washington will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 3.