EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Penn State softball team (14-14, 0-1 Big Ten) dropped its conference opener on the road, 8-7, in a back and forth game with the hosting Michigan State Spartans (11-16, 1-0 Big Ten) Friday afternoon at Secchia Stadium.
The teams were tied heading in to the seventh inning before the Spartans hit a home run to center field in the bottom of the frame for the victory.
Haley Vallejos and Chelsea Bisi both went 3-for-4 at the plate while Melina Livingston went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run.
The Nittany Lions got on the board first after Claire Swedberg was walked with a full count before Bisi singled to right field and both runners were able to advance two additional bases after a defensive error. The Spartans tied the game off two hits in the bottom of the opening frame to make it 1-1 after one.
Both teams had a hit in the second inning but stranded runners.
Penn State took back the lead in the top of the third thanks to Swedberg being walked again plus back-to-back singles by Bisi and Ally Kurland, who leads the team in RBI with 15.
The Nittany Lions added another run in the top of the fourth after Vallejos hit her second lead-off double of the game and then two sacrifice hits scored the runner. However, Michigan State tied the game once again in the bottom half of the inning to make it 3-3 after four.
Vallejos and Livingston helped bring in four runs in the fifth to give Penn State the 7-3 edge. Kurland singled and then was in scoring position on second after a sacrifice bunt before Vallejos singled for her third hit of the day to score the freshman. Meghan Williams then doubled down the right field line to have two runners on for Penn State before Livingston hit her third career home run to right field for the lead.
A rough defensive inning for the Nittany Lions allowed the Spartans to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth before they tied the game once again in the bottom of the sixth.
Dani Fey was called for leaving the base early to end the offensive part of the seventh for Penn State before Michigan State's Caitie Ladd garnered the walk-off home run.
As a team, Penn State tallied a season-high 13 hits.
The conference-opening series continues on Saturday with a 1 p.m. game two first pitch at Secchia Stadium.
