TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Penn State softball team (5-9) showed spark in the Alabama game, going up by five runs on the ranked Crimson Tide, but couldn't put a full game together, ultimately falling to both Alabama and Wichita State in six innings Saturday evening at Rhoads Stadium.
Game 1: Penn State 6, No. 10/13 Alabama 14 (6 innings)
Penn State put up a fight against No. 10/13 Alabama in game one, leading the ranked Crimson Tide through three and a half innings of play before eventually falling, 14-6, in six innings.
Senior Destiny Weber and redshirt junior Kennedy Legg both went 2-for-3 at the plate, with both Weber's hits being home runs.
The Nittany Lions took an early 5-0 lead in the first frame, stunning the crowd in Tuscaloosa. Freshman Kaitlyn Morrison led off by getting on base on a dropped third strike before sophomore Claire Swedberg drew a walk.
Legg then bunted to load the bases with no outs before sophomore Melina Livingston drove in two runs with a double to the right field wall. Weber then drove them all home with a three-run home run with a hit that went off the left fielder's glove and over the fence.
Alabama answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs of its own after loading the bases freely from three-straight walks before Maddie Moore batted them all in with a three-RBI single.
The Crimson Tide tied the game at five runs each in the bottom of the second on three singles and a sacrifice fly.
Weber returned to lead to Penn State in the top of the third with a solo home run to left center, her second of the game and third of the season.
The home team then started to run away with the game in the bottom of the fourth, garnering their first lead of the game at 10-6, plating five on five hits and an error.
Alabama added three runs on three hits in the fifth before batting in the winning run in the sixth.
Weber is the first Nittany Lion to hit two home runs in a single game since Livingston did so last season against Saint Francis (4/3/19).
Game 2: Penn State 0, Wichita State 8 (6 innings)
The Penn State offense struggled in game two of the day, dropping the game, 8-0, to Wichita State in six innings.
Morrison had the only hit of the game for the Nittany Lions.
Both teams traded back and forth defensive innings for the first three frames before the Shockers got on the board in the fourth with five runs on five hits and an error.
Wichita State added one run in the fifth and two in the sixth for the run-rule victory.
On Deck
The Nittany Lions conclude play in the Easton Bama Bash against Louisville Sunday morning at 11 a.m. CT/noon ET at Rhoads Stadium.
