UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team (14-13) split its home opener against Robert Morris (4-16) Wednesday evening at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The Nittany Lions fell in game one, 4-1, before rallying in game two, shutting out the Colonials, 11-0, in five innings.
"It felt really good to play at home," said head coach Amanda Lehotak. "I thought we had first game jitters to be honest with you. I thought we were overly excited for game one but I was really happy with how our kids settled in and came back. I thought we had a great pitching performance by Hannah Shields [in game two]. It was fun to see a big inning like that. I think you can see the potential of our freshmen that we have in that one lineup. Once we settled in, that is how we have been playing all year. I think the first game was a bit of an anomaly, I hope you do not have to see that again, but it happens. I was happy with our response."
Game 1: Penn State 1, Robert Morris 4
The Penn State offense struggled in game one, with the lone run batted in by freshman Ally Kurland in the bottom of the sixth.
Robert Morris got on the board early with two runs in the opening frame via two hits and two defensive errors by the Nittany Lions.
The Penn State defense answered back in the following two innings, taking down the Robert Morris batters in order.
The Nittany Lions threatened in the bottom of the third with a triple off the left field wall by senior Toni Polk. Claire Swedberg then walked and stole second to put two runners on but both were eventually stranded to end the inning.
The Colonials added two more runs off four hits in the top of the fourth to take hold a four-run advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth, senior Tori Dubois was hit by a pitch to get on base before Kurland drove her home with a double to center field.
Freshmen pitchers Bailey Parshall and Kylee Lingenfelter split time in the circle, striking out three and five batters, respectively.
Game 2 (5 innings): Penn State 11, Robert Morris 0
Game two was a different story for the Nittany Lions, as they scored 11 runs on 11 hits, including 10 runs in the third inning alone.
Junior transfer pitcher Hannah Shields went to work in the circle, earning her first shutout as a Penn Stater. Shields struck out four and didn't give up any walks.
Freshmen classmates Claire Swedberg, Chelsea Bisi and Ally Kurland combined for seven RBI, each with a home run in the contest.
Robert Morris struck at the plate first with a hit in the top of the first but Penn State responded with a lead-off base hit by Polk and then a fielder's choice and stolen base by Swedberg to get a runner on second with one out. Kurland then singled up the middle to score Swedberg and give the Nittany Lions an early 1-0 lead after one.
The second inning was quiet for both teams, as was the top of the third for the visitors before the Nittany Lions came alive in the bottom half of the inning.
With two outs, Penn State scored 10 runs on seven hits. Swedberg was first to reach base with a bunt and her fast feet. Bisi then homered to left field, her fourth of the season. As the next batter, Kurland copied her classmate and hit her fourth home run of the season, a solo shot off the Beard Field scoreboard.
Dubois was then hit by a pitch before sophomore Haley Vallejos doubled to put runners on second and third. Junior Delaney Elling then doubled to nearly the same spot as Vallejos for two RBI, her first of the season.
Destiny Weber entered as a pinch hitter for Dani Fey and reached first on a Colonial defensive error, allowing Elling to score.
Freshman Melina Livingston then doubled to score Fey before Polk was walked to put runners on the corners. Swedberg then made her second appearance in the inning and blasted her first career home run to left center for the eventual 11-0 lead at the end of the inning.
Shields and the defense took care of business in the final two innings to give Penn State the run-rule victory.
On Deck
Penn State hits the road again to open league play, traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to take on Michigan State for a three-game series. The Nittany Lions and Spartans will play at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 22 and at 1 p.m. on both Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24. All games will be streamed on the subscription-based BTN-Plus.
Game Notes:
- The three home runs in game two marks the fourth time this season Penn State has had two or more home runs in a single game.
- Penn State hit three home runs in a single game for the first time since the 2017 season when they did against Rutgers at home on April 21, 2017.
- Penn State hit three home runs in the same inning for the first time since the 2016 season when they did against Maryland on April 15, 2016.
- The Nittany Lions' 10 runs in one inning is the most in a single inning in the Amanda Lehotak era.
- Hannah Shields recorded Penn State's fourth shutout of the season.
- Penn State is 12-0 in 2019 when scoring at least three runs.
- Penn State has scored 10 or more runs in three games this season, the most double-digit scoring games since the 2017 season.