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Feb. 16, 2018
DURHAM, N.C. - The Penn State softball team was unable to pick up a win on day one of the Big Ten / ACC Challenge, falling to Virginia Tech 1-0 and Duke 7-5 Friday, Feb. 16.
Two Nittany Lions made their first appearances donning the Blue and White as Haley Vallejos (Chandler, Ariz.) came in as a sub in right field against Virginia Tech before earning the start against Duke, while senior Ashton Mensinger (Nescopeck, Pa.) came on in relief in the circle against both the Hokies and the Blue Devils.
Junior Paige Johnson (Clarksville, Tenn.) tallied her first hits as a Nittany Lions with a single up the middle against Va. Tech before hitting a single, knocking in one run and scoring once against Duke.
Junior Toni Polk (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) led all hitters on the day with three base knocks, lacing two against Duke and driving in one run. Also having a multi-hit day for the Nittany Lions was junior Tori Dubois (Mt. Vernon, N.H.), who had two hits and one RBI against the Blue Devils.
Senior hurler Jessica Cummings (Owings, Md.) got the nod in both games, taking the loss in game one, while Madison Shaffer (New Castle, Pa.) suffered the loss in game two, throwing 1.1 innings. Cummings went four innings in game one, giving up just two hits and one unearned run, while striking out five. Finally, Mensinger threw 3.1 innings for the Blue and White.
Game One: Virginia Tech 1, Penn State 0
The Nittany Lions loaded the bases in the top of the first inning using two walks and the first hit in Duke Softball Stadium history from Polk, but all three runners were left stranded.
After striking out, Olivia Lattin reached first on a wild pitch and came around to score in the bottom of the first on a single up the middle to take the early 1-0 lead over the Blue and White.
Cummings and the Penn State defense worked its way out of a jam when the Hokies loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning using a foul ball pop up to get out of the inning unscathed.
Johnson secured her first hit as a Nittany Lion in the top of the fourth inning and made her way to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, but the Blue and White were unable to plate her as it continued to trail 1-0.
Penn State could not string a group of hits together in the remaining innings, falling 1-0 to the Hokies.
Game Two: Duke 7, Penn State 5
Penn State struck early against the Blue Devils when Dubois singled through the right side of the infield and touched home on a Johson double into the left center field gap. The Blue and White extended its lead to 2-0 as Dani Fey (Bangor, Pa.) dug in and laced the third-straight single of the inning up the middle to score Dubois.
The Blue and White continued to build on its lead in the top of the third inning when a Duke error proved to be costly and allowed Penn State to take a 3-0 lead with no outs. The Nittany Lions tacked on two final runs in the top of the third with a double from Dubois and a single from Polk to extend the lead to 5-0 heading into the fourth inning.
Duke came within four in the bottom of the third inning as a single found its way up the middle. The Blue Devils continued to close the gap on the Nittany Lions in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run home run over the center field wall to bring Duke within two, 5-3, and forcing a Penn State pitching change. Shaffer came on in relief and closed out the inning before any further runs would cross the plate, allowing the Nittany Lions to maintain a 5-3 lead.
The Blue Devils capitalized on a Penn State error in the bottom of the fifth inning, plating three unearned runs to take the 6-5 advantage with two innings left to play. Duke added one final security run in the bottom of the sixth inning to go up 7-5 and force the second Penn State pitching change of the game. Mensinger and the defense secured the final out of the inning as the Nittany Lions headed into the final inning of play trailing by two.
Penn State battled in the top of the seventh inning, putting runners on first and second with two outs before a single down the first base line turned into a pickle play between second and third. The Blue Devils secured the final out of the inning as Penn State fell 7-5 in game two of the day.
Up Next:
Penn State will square up with Duke for the second time Saturday, Feb. 17 at 9:30 a.m.