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April 14, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State softball team dropped the Michigan State Big Ten Conference series, losing the doubleheader Saturday, April 14 at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
The Nittany Lions lost 7-1 in game one before falling 6-2 in a late battle in game two against the Spartans. Penn State picked up one win in the series as it defeated MSU in the series-opener 8-6.
Junior Tori Dubois (Mt. Vernon, N.H.) paced the Blue and White at the plate with three hits on the day and two RBI, while Madison Shaffer (New Castle, Pa.) took the loss in game one and Jessica Cummings (Owings, Md.) suffered the loss in game two.
Dubois notched her second-straight game with a home run and earned her seventh of the season as she went yard in game one against MSU. Junior Paige Johnson (Clarksville, Tenn.) also drove in one run for the Blue and White on an infield groundout with bases loaded.
Kristina Zalewski earned the win in both games as she pitched both ends of the doubleheader and Kelsey Carrasco drove in three runs in game one for the Spartans.
Game One: Michigan State 7, Penn State 1
Michigan State quickly got on the scoreboard it the top of the first inning with a leadoff home run followed by a single into left center field with two runners on to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
Penn State came within two in the bottom of the third inning when Dubois blasted her seventh home run of the season and second of the series over the left field wall. Defensively, the Nittany Lions tallied two three up, three down innings but were unable to put any further runs on the board through five complete innings.
Michigan State worked its lead to 5-1 in the top of the seventh inning when a triple into center field scored the first run of the inning and a single through the left side brought in the fifth run of the game for the Spartans. MSU tacked on two final runs in the top of the inning to take a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
The Blue and White got a runner on base, but the Nittany Lions were unable to bring a run across the plate, falling 7-1 in game one of the doubleheader.
Game Two: Michigan State 6, Penn State 2
The Spartans again jumped out to a quick lead, scoring four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning to get out to a 4-0 advantage. A leadoff triple followed by a single into left field proved detrimental to the Penn State defense as it brought in the fifth run of the game for MSU in the top of the second inning.
The Blue and White chipped away at the Spartan lead in the bottom of the third inning, putting runners on first and second for Dubois. The junior left fielder dug in and drove a single into center field to plate one and bring Penn State within four, 5-1. MSU answered in the top of the fourth inning, driving in one run to take a 6-1 advantage.
Penn State juiced the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning on three-straight singles and brought in a run on a ground out to second base to come within four of Michigan State. The Blue and White could not generate any further offense in the bottom of the seventh inning, falling 6-2.
Up Next:
The Penn State softball team will play a mid-week non-conference doubleheader against Saint Francis Wednesday, April 18. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. and game two will be played at 7:30 p.m.