Feb. 22, 2014
3 (7-6) | Boca Raton, Fla. - FAU Softball Field | 1 (5-7) |
BOCA RATON, Fla.; Feb. 22, 2014 - The Penn State softball team dropped to 5-7 on the year on Saturday evening after falling to Pittsburgh, 3-1, in the FAU Invitational. PSU's lone run came in the sixth inning as sophomore Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) blasted a solo homerun over right field for her 12th RBI of the season.
The Nittany Lions (5-7) are now 12-6 vs. the Panthers (7-6) all-time. Each team posted nine hits on the day but PSU failed to bring in eight runners while Pitt left six on base.
Kristina Brackpool (Valencia, Calif.), Jones, Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) and Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.) registered eight of Penn State's nine hits vs. Pitt with two apiece. Brackpool turned in a 2-for-3 performance while Jones, Knief and Hatfield each went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Both the Lions and the Panthers struggled in the beginning, leading to a scoreless contest through the fourth inning. Pitt finally got things started in the top of the fifth, notching two runs on four hits.
Sophomore Chloe Morgan was the first to cross the plate, scoring on a Tori Nirschl single to right field. Kaitlin Manuel followed, capitalizing on a throwing error from Hatfield to put the count at 2-0.
The Panthers extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the sixth as Manuel sent a single to left field to bring in Carly Thea.
Jones' homer in the bottom half of the sixth cut the deficit to two runs for PSU and gave the Blue and White a chance to gain momentum. Penn State kept the Panthers from scoring in the top of the seventh but failed to pull ahead, falling to Pitt by a final of 3-1.
The Nittany Lions continued their doubleheader with a game against host Florida Atlantic until a storm resulted in the postponing of the match. FAU gained a 3-0 advantage in the third inning and the Blue and White struck back in the fifth, recording two runs of their own to pull within one. A scoreless sixth inning for both teams left the count at 3-2 heading into the final frame. Sophomore Karlie Habitz (Newhall, Calif.) was set to lead off for PSU until lightning put the game at a standstill.
Penn State will resume its final inning of play vs. FAU after Sunday morning's 9 a.m. contest vs. No. 5 Kentucky.