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Feb. 26, 2017
CONWAY, S.C. - The Penn State softball team split its final day of the Chanticleer Showdown, defeating Cleveland State 9-0 in five innings before falling 1-0 to Morehead State to close out the day Sunday, Feb. 26 at Coastal Carolina Softball Field.
The Nittany Lions (6-7) were led by junior Mollie Sorenson (Stephenson Ranch, Calif.), who went 3-for-3 at the plate against Cleveland State before notching one of Penn State's four hits in game two against Morehead State. Senior Shelby Miller (Sugar Land, Texas) tallied two hits on the day and drove in three RBI, while Rebecca Ziegler (Tucson, Ariz.) went 2-for-3 at the plate, roped in two runs and scored twice for the Blue and White.
In game one, junior Jessica Cummings (Owings, Md.) struck out a career-high nine batters in her first start of the season, going all five innings for the Blue and White. The Penn State offense supported Cummings, scoring nine runs and tying a season-high 10 hits against Cleveland State. Senior Kristina Brackpool (Valencia, Calif.) launched a solo home run against Cleveland State, marking the first of the season and the 16th of her career, ranking her 10th all-time in Nittany Lion laurels.
Sophomore Madison Seifert (Wildwood, Mo.) suffered the loss in game two, giving up a lone home run in the top of the fourth inning.
Game One: Penn State 9, Cleveland State 0 (5 innings)
In her first start of the season, Cummings put on a show, striking out nine and giving up five hits to the Vikings. Miller led the Blue and White at the plate, driving in three runs on one hit, while Ziegler brought in two runs and scored twice. Also notching a multi-hit game was Sorenson, who went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored once.
Brackpool allowed Penn State to take the early lead when she ripped a solo home run over the left center field fence in the top of the second inning.
Penn State loaded the bases in the top of the third inning before Miller stepped in and roped a double down the left field line to score two runs and extend the Nittany Lion lead to 3-0.
The Blue and White continued to build on its lead in the top of the fourth inning when it juiced the bases for the second-straight inning for Sam Shanahan (Seattle, Wash.), who laced a double to left center field to plate two runs. Ziegler followed it up with an identical double to bring in two more runs before a suicide squeeze and a ground out allowed Penn State to take the 9-0 advantage in the fourth inning.
The Nittany Lions held off the Vikings in the bottom of the fifth inning to solidify the 9-0 five-inning win.
Game Two: Morehead State 1, Penn State 0
Penn State threatened in the bottom of the first inning loading the bases with no outs but the Eagles used two strikeouts and a ground out to close out the inning before the Nittany Lions could push a run across the plate.
The Blue and White started a two-out rally in the bottom of the third inning when Miller walked and Tori Dubois (Mt. Vernon, N.H.) singled to center field, but again the Morehead pitching shut down the Nittany Lions before a run could touch home.
The Eagles lit up the scoreboard for the only time in the contest when Cheyenne Meyer hit a home run that stayed just fair over the left field wall in the top of the fourth inning.
Ziegler hoped to start a two-out rally when she drew a full count walk in the bottom of the seventh inning but a fly out to center field ended the game as Penn State fell 1-0 to Morehead State.
Up Next:
Penn State will start its spring break trip in Fort Collins, Colorado March 3-5 with five games before traveling to Seattle for a mid-week doubleheader and finishing the week off at the Husky Classic.