FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Penn State softball team fell to Kent State, 11-0, and Ball State, 1-0, on day two of the FGCU Kickoff Classic Saturday at the FGCU Softball Complex.
Game 1 (5 innings): Penn State 0, Kent State 11
The Nittany Lions struggled to get the offense going in the first game of the day, only recording one hit in the game.
Kent State came out swinging, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first, due in part to a grand slam by Hunter Brancifort.
Toni Polk singled in the top of the second inning for Penn State's only hit.
The Golden Flashes would go on to score once more in the bottom of the third with four more runs coming in the fourth to end the game after five innings.
Madison Shaffer made her 2019 debut on the mound and led the Nittany Lion pitching staff with two strikeouts.
Game 2: Penn State 0, Ball State 1
Penn State faced Ball State for the second time this weekend in game two of the day in a truly defensive game on both ends of the ball.
Both teams went three up, three down in the first inning before Ball State had back-to-back hits in the top of the second. The Nittany Lion defense then went to work as Delaney Elling made a great out in foul territory followed by a put-out by Melina Livingston at shortstop and Bailey Parshall's first of six strikeouts on the day.
The third and fourth innings were evenly played with the Cardinals recording a hit in the top of the third and Livingston recording a hit in the bottom of the fourth for the Nittany Lions. The Cardinals added one more hit in the top of the fifth but the game still remained scoreless.
Ball State's Janae Hogg homered to left field in the top of the sixth for the eventual game-winning run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Polk blasted one to right field but Ball State had it on the warning track to end the game.
Penn State is back on the field Sunday at 9 a.m. in a rematch against Kent State for the fifth and final game in Fort Myers.