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March 29, 2017
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Penn State softball team fell 7-1 to Pittsburgh in a mid-week in-state contest Wednesday, March 29.
The Nittany Lions (12-18) tallied seven hits in the contest with senior Kristina Brackpool (Valencia, Calif.) going 3-for-4 at the plate and driving in the lone run of the game, while Rebecca Ziegler (Tucson, Ariz.) laced a double and scored a run for the Blue and White.
Senior Marlaina Laubach (Northampton, Pa.) earned the start in the circle, throwing 2.2 innings before freshman Madey Smith (Washington, N.J.) took over with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Smith ended the day tossing two complete innings, while Jessica Cummings (Owings, Md.) closed out the game for the Blue and White in the circle.
Gabriella Fredericks led Pittsburgh (17-13) with two RBI and Giogianna Zeremenko went 2-for-2 at the dish. Finally, McKayla Taylor had two hits, brought in one RBI and scored once for the Panthers. In the circle, Sarah Dawson earned the win pitching five innings in relief.
Penn State wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning as Ziegler led off with a double into the left center gap and came around to score on a Brackpool single that was laced past third base.
Pittsburgh's first hit of the game touched home when a two-out throwing error sailed into the outfield and allowed Taylor to take an extra base and tie the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning. The Panthers tacked on three more runs to go on top of the Nittany Lions in the bottom of the third using five-straight two-out hits.
The Nittany Lions loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth inning but were unable to push a run across the plate as they continued to trail 4-1 heading with only two chances left at the plate.
Two walks, a passed ball and a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning extended the Pittsburgh lead to 5-1. The Panthers continued to add onto their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when a two-run shot over the center field wall gave them the 7-1 lead over Penn State.
Despite getting the leadoff runner on base in the final inning, the Nittany Lions were unable to get anything going falling 7-1 on the road.
Up Next:
Penn State plays its first home games inside the friendly confines of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field Friday, March 31 against Indiana. The Nittany Lions first game against the Hoosiers is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, March 31, while game two is set to be played Saturday, April 1 at 3 p.m. The three-game series concludes Sunday, April 2 at 1 p.m. Fans can catch game one for free on GoPSUNow, while game two and three will be on BTN Plus.