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Feb. 25, 2017
CONWAY, S.C. - After a 10-inning battle with Campbell, the Penn State softball team fell twice on day one of the Chanticleer Showdown. The Nittany Lions fell 3-1 in game one to host Campbell before finding themselves on the losing end of a 10-inning, 9-5 game against Campbell.
Senior Shelby Miller (Sugar Land, Texas) led all Penn State hitters at the place with three hits on the day and driving in the tying runs in the bottom of the seventh against Campbell with her second home run of the season. Redshirt-sophomore Rebecca Ziegler (Tucson, Ariz.) also had three hits on the day and drove in two runs with a double against Campbell, while junior Mollie Sorenson (Stephenson Ranch, Calif.) notched four hits on the day with back-to-back multi-hit games.
Sophomore Madison Seifert (Wildwood, Mo.) got the start in game one against Coastal Carolina, throwing five innings, while Madison Shaffer (New Castle, Pa.) closed out the game in relief for the Blue and White. In game two, senior Marlaina Laubach (Northampton, Pa.) earned the start in the circle, pitching 4.2 innings before Shaffer came on in relief for the second time in the day. Shaffer pitched five innings and suffered the loss in the circle for the Blue and White against the Camels.
Game One: Coastal Carolina 3, Penn State 1
The Chanticleers were the first to get on the scoreboard after Taty Forbes worked her way around the bases on a leadoff single followed by a sacrifice bunt before a single up the middle from Kailey Mellen would plate her from second base and give Coastal the 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Nittany Lions knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning when Tori Dubois (Mt. Vernon, N.H.) singled to center field and came around to score on a Delaney Elling (Washington, Pa.) single to shallow left field.
With two outs, Coastal Carolina used a double off the left field wall and a throwing error by the Penn State defense to bring in two runs and take its second lead of the game, 3-2, heading into the sixth inning.
The Blue and White were unable to start anything offensively in its next two trips to the plate, falling 3-1 in its first game of the Chanticleer Showdown.
Game Two: Campbell 9, Penn State 5 (10 inn.)
The Camels struck in the top of the first inning when a single to left center came around to score on an Amber Schisler double down the left field line that would give Campbell the 1-0 lead over the Nittany Lions.
Penn State answered in the bottom of the second inning loading the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk before Ziegler drove in two runs on a double into left center field to give the Blue and White a 2-1 lead. The multi-RBI game marked the second of the season for the redshirt-sophomore center fielder.
Campbell struck for the second time in top of the fifth inning scoring three runs on three hits to take a 4-2 lead over the Blue and White.
The Nittany Lions looked to rally in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mia Monopoli (San Francisco, Calif.) singled to the pitched and Jessica Haug (Jamison, Pa.) doubled off the center field wall to put runners in scoring position with two outs. However, the offense was unable to push a run across as Penn State continued to trail 4-2 heading into the seventh inning.
Penn State battled in the bottom of the seventh inning when Sorenson and worked her way to third on two groundouts before Miller launched her second home run of the season over the right field fence to knot the score at 4-4 and send the game into extra innings.
Following a scoreless eighth inning, Campbell used a wild pitch and a ground out up the middle to plate a run and take a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Nittany Lions did not give in as a sacrifice bunt and a single from Sorenson to shallow center field plated the tying run for the Blue and White in the bottom half of the inning.
In the top of the 10th inning, Campbell capitalized on two Penn State errors to bring in four unearned runs and take the 9-5 victory over the Blue and White.
Up Next:
Penn State will conclude the Chanticleer Showdown Sunday, Feb. 26 with a 9 a.m. contest against Cleveland State and an 11:30 a.m. game against Morehead State.