MIAMI, Fla. – The Penn State softball team (2-0) showed grit on the opening day of the 2020 season, beating Cal in come-from-behind fashion, 3-2, and FIU, 4-2, Friday evening at Felsberg Field.
"I'm so proud of this tribe today," said head coach Amanda Lehotak. "They never flinched and their composure was incredible even in the toughest situations. Still plenty of work to do this weekend but I'm happy with how we performed in day one."
Game 1: Penn State 3, Cal 2
Trailing 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning, Penn State continued to swing its bats and put metal to ball to score two runs in the bottom half of the frame before freshman Kaitlyn Morrison called game in the bottom of the seventh with a walk-off double to left field for the Nittany Lions' first win of the season.
Morrison, classmate Leanne Matthews and redshirt junior Kennedy Legg all went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Nittany Lion offense.
Cal started the game with a lead-off double before the defense put the next three batters away as both teams had a relatively quiet first inning.
The Golden Bears then struck fin the top of the second after a walk and a ground-out put a runner on second and Sophie Medellin singled to right field to score said runner.
Penn State started to show promise in the bottom of the third when Matthews came in as a pinch hitter and singled to center field for her first collegiate hit. The Nittany Lions were able to load the bases in the frame before eventually stranding the runners.
Cal increased its lead to two runs in the top of the fifth after a defensive error put a runner on and a double eventually brought the runner home.
The momentum in the bottom half of the frame started with another single by Matthews before Morrison singled up the middle to score Matthews and get Penn State on the board. Sophomore Chelsea Bisi then singled to bring up Legg who registered a RBI-single to left field for her first hit since 2018 due to missing the last season with an injury.
With the ball in their court, the Nittany Lion defense registered a quick three-up, three-down inning in the top of the seventh to get the offense back in the batters' box.
Sophomore Melina Livingston drew a lead-off walk before Morrison slammed it home with a RBI-double for the walk-off win.
Sophomore Bailey Parshall picked up the win in the circle with four strikeouts.
Game 2: Penn State 4, FIU 2
Penn State took that momentum and response to adversity from game one and translated it to game two with a 4-2 victory over host FIU.
Freshman Michelle Leone went 3-for-4 at the plate with a RBI to lead the Nittany Lions offensively.
Similarly to game one, the opposing team struck first when FIU scored one run on two hits in the bottom half of the opening frame to take an early 1-0 lead.
Penn State responded with a lead-off single from Leone to get on base. Sophomore Ally Kurland and Matthews both singled with two outs, with Matthews' hit to left center scoring Leone to tie the game at one.
The Nittany Lions took their first lead of the game in the top of the third with Morrison drawing a lead-off walk and Bisi doubling to deep left field. Morrison attempted to round the bases but was caught at home for the out. However, Legg's RBI-single scored Bisi to give Penn State an advantage.
FIU came back in the bottom of the frame with a walk, sac bunt and three singles to not only tie the game but load the bases. Sophomore pitcher Kylee Lingenfelter replaced freshman starter Vanessa Oatley in the circle and helped the defense turn a double play to get out of the jam and keep the game tied at two after three innings of play.
The next three innings were quiet for both teams before Penn State took business into its own hands in the top of the seventh.
Matthews started the frame with a stand-up double to left center before Livingston reached on an error. Morrison then reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with no outs.
Bisi hit a sacrifice fly to put the Nittany Lions back on top, 3-2. Legg drew a walk to re-load the bases and Leone singled for her third hit of the game and another Penn State run to give the visitors a two-run advantage.
Freshman Kathryn Rex also drew a walk as a pinch hitter to load the bases once more but FIU got out of the jam down two.
The Panthers threatened in the final half of the frame with back-to-back singles. Parshall entered the game for Lingenfelter and managed a pop-up and back-to-back strikeouts to save the game.
Lingenfelter earned the win in the circle while Parshall picked up the save, the sixth in her career, which is already tied for third-most in program history.
On Deck
Penn State continues play in the Felsberg Invitational on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. against Syracuse. The Nittany Lions then match up against Michigan State in a nonconference game at 12:30 p.m.