EVANSTON, Ill. – Despite a valiant defensive performance and electric sixth inning in the batter's box, Penn State softball dropped its series finale to the No. 23 Northwestern Wildcats by a 5-2 margin Sunday afternoon on Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
After dropping its final game of the weekend, Penn State moved to 20-11 overall through its first 31 games, sitting two wins ahead of the 2022 team's record through this point in the campaign. Against Big Ten challengers, the Nittany Lions dropped to 2-7 overall, taking games off Iowa and Minnesota in the past three weeks. Northwestern climbed to 24-9 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten, sitting in a tie with Indiana for the best record in league play following the Hoosiers' loss to Minnesota on Sunday.
Penn State's offensive success generated by the long ball continued in the weekend finale, as the Blue & White launched two homers Sunday afternoon to bring the team's weekend total to seven. Senior catcher Cassie Lindmark led the way in the box for PSU, going 2-for-2 in her at-bats in addition to a walk. The Lyons, Illinois, native hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning in addition to a double earlier in the game. Junior second baseman Melody Coombs pelted her second home run of the season and her second in the last 48 hours, going deep to lead off the sixth and tie the game at one run apiece. Sophomore leftfielder Lydia Coleman also mustered an extra-base hit, connecting on a double en route to a 1-for-3 outing.
Fifth-year right-hander Kylee Lingenfelter secured her fourth complete game of the 2023 campaign, battling heroically against one of the most potent offensive lineups in the nation. The Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, native managed 6.1 innings of work, scattering nine hits while striking out six batters. Lingenfelter tied her season-high in total pitches with 116 tosses in the circle. Saddled with the loss despite a strong showing, her individual record dropped to 5-3 overall.
Each team managed to get a runner on in the first inning, but solid pitching and defense kept the score deadlocked early on. Northwestern applied extra pressure in the home half of the second, stranding runners on second and third before junior third baseman Emily Maddock collected a pop fly in the infield. Both squads stranded runners in the third inning, but Northwestern finally broke the tie in the fourth.
Nikki Cuchran drew a walk and Angela Zedak singled to left field, moving Cuchran to second. Bridget Donahey came in to pinch run for Cuchran at second. Kelsey Nader reached first on a fielder's choice, allowing Donahey to move to third despite Zedak being thrown out at second. Nader stole second, and a Grace Nieto single plated Donahey for the opening run of the game. PSU would respond in the top of the sixth, surging ahead by a 2-1 margin.
Coombs managed to turn a nine-pitch at-bat into her second home run in 48 hours, crushing the ball down the left field line for the first Nittany Lion run. On the ensuing pitch to Lindmark, the PSU catcher went yard yet again, sending the ball over the fence in left just feet away from where Coombs' homer landed 90 seconds prior. After the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh passed without incident, NU was able to load the bases with one out, leading the way for a walk-off grand slam for Wildcat catcher Jordyn Rudd, extinguishing PSU's hope for victory in the finale by a 5-2 score.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Cassie Lindmark | 2-for-2, HR, RBI, 1 R, 2B, BB
Melody Coombs | 1-for-3, HR, RBI, 1 R
Lydia Coleman | 1-for-3, 2B
Kylee Lingenfelter | 6.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 116 TP
KEY INNINGS
B4 | Nikki Cuchran drew a walk and Angela Zedak singled to left field, moving Cuchran to second. Bridget Donahey came in to pinch run for Cuchran at second. Kelsey Nader reached first on a fielder's choice, allowing Donahey to move to third despite Zedak being thrown out at second. Nader stole second, and a Grace Nieto single plated Donahey for the opening run of the game. NU 1, PSU 0
T6 | Melody Coombs managed to turn a nine-pitch at-bat into her second home run in 48 hours, crushing the ball down the left field line for the first Nittany Lion run. On the ensuing pitch to Cassie Lindmark, the catcher went yard yet again, sending the ball over the fence in left just feet away from Coombs' homer from 90 seconds prior. PSU 2, NU 1
B7 | Nieto singled to left field and advanced to second after Kansas Robinson singled up the middle. Skyler Shellmyer managed another single up the middle for NU, loading the bases. After Maeve Nelson struck out against Kylee Lingenfelter, Jordyn Rudd sent a grand slam home run to left that closed out the game. NU 5, PSU 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball returns home to the friendly confines of Nittany Lion Softball Park for a Big Ten doubleheader against the Ohio State Buckeyes. First pitch in game one on Tuesday, April 11, is slated for 4 p.m. followed by a 6:30 p.m. start in game two. Both games will be broadcast to a national television audience via the Big Ten Network.
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.
