Penn State softball (23-13, 5-9 Big Ten) swept Rutgers (30-17, 7-7 Big Ten) in a three-game series at Beard Field.

Maddie Gordon was the star of the weekend and hit her first two career home runs including a grad slam in the series finale Sunday. Altogether, the Nittany Lions produced 21 hits over the weekend.

Game One

To start off the series, Penn State snapped its conference losing streak and took care of its opening game 1-0.

Kylee Lingenfelter earned the start in the circle and held the Scarlet Knights down in the first inning. Kaitlyn Morrison hit a double in the bottom of the first, but couldn’t score and the game remained locked at zero.

The Nittany Lions got on base again in the bottom of the second inning with runners on second and third bases and one out, but they still couldn’t muster to get any runs home. Lingenfelter stayed hot and handed out four strikeouts through four innings.

Penn State finally broke the stalemate in the bottom of the sixth inning after Emily Maddock singled to score Lilia Crouthamel with two outs to give Penn State the edge to win.

Despite only having one run, Penn State hammered nine hits in the first game.

Game Two

Finishing off the doubleheader on Friday, the Nittany Lions earned a 3-0 win.

Bailey Parshall picked up right where Lingenfelter left off, holding Rutgers to zero runs through two innings.

Penn State couldn’t get a run across in the first inning, but that changed when Maddie Gordon hit a bomb to left field for her first career home run to give the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead.

THAT'S MADDIE GORDON'S FIRST CAREER HOME RUN!!!!

The dinger brings in 3 making the score PSU 3. RUT 0! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/muojt1O30p

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) April 14, 2023

The Scarlet Knights couldn’t get on the board for the second game in a row, and Penn State walked away with another shutout win.

Game Three

Closing out the sweep, Penn State won 6-3 on Sunday morning.

During the final game of the weekend, the team represented student-athlete mental health advocate Morgan’s Message.

So honored to represent Morgan’s Message throughout todays game

Morgan’s Message strives to amplify stories while providing resources and expertise to confront student-athlete mental health. Penn State softball is proud to join them in this mission#WeAre | @MorgansMessage pic.twitter.com/stjGcEWVMi

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) April 16, 2023

Adding to the season home run count, Maggie Finnegan blasted her first home run of the season to up the score 2-0 in the top of the second inning.

Gordon then came up big again with a grand slam for her second career home run to put Penn State up by six.

GRAND SLAM from Maddie Gordon !! Her SECOND career home run (and her second of the weekend) puts PSU up by 6⃣!!

E3 | PSU 6, RUT 0 #WeAre pic.twitter.com/3wdqkfdyr0

— Penn State Softball (@PennStateSB) April 16, 2023

Soon after, Rutgers came up to the plate in the top of the fourth, hit three singles, and scored three runs to cut Penn State’s lead in half. Maddock doubled in the bottom of the inning to score two more and increase Penn State’s lead to 8-3.

Rutgers couldn’t get any more runs, so Penn State secured the sweep with the 8-3 win.

Takeaways:

• Bailey Parshall added another accolade to her name during game two of the series and tossed her 55th career complete game. Kylee Lingenfelter also had an astonishing weekend, earning her sixth complete game and second shutout of the season. When the pitching staff is on, it’s a dangerous staff to face at the plate.
• Penn State earned some huge hits this weekend between Maddie Gordon and Emily Maddock. After struggling at the plate for the past two series, this was a huge breakthrough for the offense as it outscored Rutgers 12-3.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will remain at home for a one-game stand against Bucknell. The game will start at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, at Beard Field.