April 26, 2015
| 4 | 3 |
| Beard Field | University Park, Pa. | Attn: 746 | |
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Video: Lehotak/Knief/Laubach/Pond
FINAL STATISTICS
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Junior Erin Pond (Lagrange, Ohio) sent the game into extra innings with her seventh inning three-run, inside-the-park home run and junior Lexi Knief's (Ramsey, N.J.) single in the ninth gave the Penn State softball team a 4-3 walk-off win over Rutgers on Sunday at Beard Field. The Nittany Lions completed the sweep against the Scarlet Knights to improve to 27-24 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play.
Penn State, led by Head Coach Amanda Lehotak, earned their first three-game Big Ten sweep since April 4-6, 2014 and their first three-game home Big Ten sweep since April 28-29, 2012.
With 746 fans in the stands, the second-largest crowd in Beard Field history, the Nittany Lions won their 11th home game this season, the most since Beard Field opened in 2011. With 11 home wins, Penn State has their most since 12 home victories in 1999.
Pond and junior Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) each had two hits, while Pond had three RBI's.
Rutgers got on the board first, collecting four hits in the top of the first and plating two on a single to left center by Jordan Whitley.
After being held scoreless through the next four innings, the Scarlet Knights added another run in the top of the sixth on a home run by Sierra Maddox.
Entering the bottom of the seventh without a run and only one hit, the Nittany Lions put together the inning they needed to extend the game. Jones led off the frame with a single through the middle. Jones moved up to second on a walk to freshman Alyssa VanDerveer (Hillsborough, N.J.). After an out, Pond came up to the plate. An illegal pitch moved both runners into scoring position, setting up Pond's line drive to right that bounced past the Rutgers' diving right fielder. Jones and pinch-runner Maegan Tupinio (Wahiawa, Hawaii) scored before Pond hustled home to beat the throw and tie the game at 3-3 to send it into extra innings.
Sophomore Marlaina Laubach (Northampton, Pa.) held the Scarlet Knights scoreless through the eighth and ninth innings, not allowing a baserunner to reach base.
In the bottom of the ninth, Brackpool ripped a one-out double off the top of the center field wall. Senior Alicia Walker (Los Alamitos, Calif.) entered as a pinch-runner to replace Brackpool. Junior Reina Furuya (Waipahu, Hawaii) moved Walker to third with a groundout to second to setup Knief's walk-off knock. On a 2-2 pitch, Knief lined it into centerfield to allow Walker to cross the plate.
Jones started the game on the mound for the Nittany Lions, but after two runs scored for Rutgers, Laubach replaced Jones. The sophomore pitched 8.2 innings, allowing three hits and a run, while striking out six and walking four.
After Laubach entered the game, she only allowed four Scarlet Knights to reach base between the first and fifth innings.
Penn State travels to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a mid-week matchup with the Panthers. The game will begin at 6 p.m.
Next weekend, the Nittany Lions heads to Ann Arbor, Mich. for a three-game series at No. 4 Michigan. The Wolverines are 45-6 overall and 18-2 in conference play. Michigan is currently on 14-game win streak. The series begins on Friday at 6 p.m.