MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – The Penn State softball team (7-11) swept the final day of the Madeira Beach Invitational, picking up wins over Florida A&M, 2-0, and Central Michigan, 7-2.
Game 1: Penn State 2, Florida A&M 0
Penn State record its second shutout in 2019, taking down Florida A&M, 2-0, in the first game of the day.
Senior Toni Polk went 2-for-3 at the plate while the freshmen duo of Kylee Lingenfelter and Bailey Parshall combined for the shutout for the second time this season in the circle.
For the second time at the Madeira Beach Invitational, Polk hit a home run as the lead-off batter for the early 1-0 Nittany Lion advantage.
The second, third and fourth innings were quiet for both teams as they both recorded one hit.
In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Melina Livingston singled and Polk doubled to put runners on second and third with only one out. Claire Swedberg then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Livingston and give the Nittany Lions the two-run cushion over the Rattlers.
The Rattlers threatened in the top of the seventh with a lead-off double and a single with two outs but ultimately could not convert.
Lingenfelter struck out a career high six batters in 4.1 innings pitched.
Game 2: Penn State 7, Central Michigan 2
In Penn State's final game of the tournament the bats came alive, firing off 12 hits including three extra-base hits.
Senior Tori Dubois totaled three RBI and freshmen Chelsea Bisi and Melina Livingston both went 2-for-3 at the plate. The freshmen duo of Kylee Lingenfelter and Bailey Parshall also picked up their second win and save, respectively, of the day in the circle.
The first four innings remained scoreless, as both teams had solid defensive efforts to strand the runners via four hits by Penn State and two by Central Michigan.
Penn State took full control of the game in the top of the fifth inning, firing off five runs on six hits.
Livingston hit her second career home run well over center field for the first run of the game with one out. Toni Polk then singled and stole second before Claire Swedberg crushed a double to right center to score Polk. Dubois singled to left center as the next batter and Swedberg came home for the 3-0 Penn State advantage.
Central Michigan changed pitchers but that couldn't stop the Nittany Lions' momentum as Meghan Williams stepped up to the plate and recorded a hit on the first pitch, advancing Lilia Crouthamel, who was in running for Dubois, to third. A passed ball allowed Crouthamel to tack on another run before Bisi's RBI-single brought in the fifth run of the inning.
Central Michigan threatened in the bottom of the sixth, as its lead-off batter of the inning hit a home run to left center and two more hits and a Penn State error scored one more run to cut the deficit to 5-2 with an inning to go.
Dubois added two insurance runs in the top of the final frame with her first home run of the season, a two-run shot.
On Deck
The Nittany Lions continue their spring break tour, with a midweek doubleheader against in-state competition Penn and Villanova on Wednesday, March 6 starting at 11 a.m. at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Fla.
