March 25, 2018
By Brian McLaughlin, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a slow start to the series finale against Maryland, Penn State came roaring back in the bottom of the sixth inning scoring three runs to tie the game. A home run off the bat Skylynne Ellazar put Maryland back on top and Penn State left the game-tying run on third in their final at bat in the seventh. The Nittany Lions fell 4-3 to the Terrapins.
"It was a great game at the end especially those last few innings. I think (there is a mutual respect between us and Maryland). For us it was a tail of two games, first four innings we fell flat, then kind of turned it on," head coach Amanda Lehotak said. "Give Maryland credit they came in with a good game plan today, I thought one team made adjustments late in the end. If the win hadn't picked up I think Delaney's ball might have gone out. That's what it's all about on Sundays."
Here are some takeaways from Penn State's Sunday contest.
Player of the Game: Gianna Arrizurieta
The senior shortstop for Penn State has struggled to start the year at the plate, but came through in clutch moments for Penn State on Sunday. In the top of the sixth inning she started a rally with a single before coming around to score, and in the seventh she once again led off with a single before being stranded on third base.
"Gianna has just been working really hard. She is just one of those poor seniors that has started off slow and wasn't really getting the results that she wanted, but now she is starting to find some holes," Lehotak said. "She's just proves if you keep working the game will finally pay you back. The great thing about Gianna is she never changes her approach just working her tail off and she just finally found some holes."
Cummings dominates Maryland
Jessica Cummings notched another performance in the pitcher's circle for the Nittany Lions, allowing just three earned runs and striking out five batters.
"The biggest thing is she is from Maryland so I think she really gets hyped up for Maryland," Lehotak said. "I think in her whole career she's done really well against them. She just did a really good job handling her emotions, I thought she attacked the zone well. Again only two walks so only two on the entire weekend. That's what we need from her, she is at her best when she has that fearless mindset and just goes right after them. Hopefully the hardest part of the season is behind her and she just keeps getting better the rest of the way."
Relentless Approach
Both home series so far Penn State has shown the ability to come from behind late in games which continued again on Sunday with the late game comeback.
"They're fighters, you guys have seen us now back-to-back weekends, we never give up. They work their tails off and they believe in one another. I love that grittiness aspect of them, I love the fact that we are never out of the game until it's over," Lehotak said.
Penn State continues its home action this Wednesday when they take on the Robert Morris Colonials in a double-header.