CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Penn State softball team (10-14) picked itself up after a rough first outing of the day against Seton Hall for a shutout victory in game two over in-state foe Robert Morris.
The Pirates of Seton Hall took game one in five innings by a score of 10-2 but the Nittany Lions rebounded with their own run-rule victory with an 8-0 shutout of the Colonials of Robert Morris. Sophomore pitcher Bailey Parshall threw her second-straight shutout and gave up only two hits.
Sophomore Melina Livingston went 2-for-3 at the plate in both games with five total RBI, including a career-high four against Robert Morris.
Game 1: Penn State 2, Seton Hall 10 (5 innings)
Penn State struggled in game one, falling to Seton Hall, 10-2, in five innings.
The Pirates started off hot with three runs off three hits in the opening frame.
Redshirt junior Kennedy Legg singled and Livingston reached on an error in Penn State's first offensive attempt of the day but both were stranded to end the inning.
Seton Hall added another three runs on three hits in the second and four runs on four hits in the third to take a 10-0 advantage after two and a half innings.
The Nittany Lions got on the board in the bottom of the third after junior Dani Fey was hit by a pitch and freshman Kaitlyn Morrison reached on an error before classmate Maggie Finnegan batted Fey in with a RBI single up the middle.
Penn State tried to get hot in the bottom of the fifth with a stand-up double from Legg who was then plated by a double by Livingston but it was too little too late as the Pirates would win with the run-rule.
Game 2: Penn State 8, Robert Morris 0 (5 innings)
It was a much different game two for Penn State as the offense dominated Robert Morris for a 8-0 run-rule victory.
Livingston, Morrison and sophomore Lilia Crouthamel all had two-hit performances for the Nittany Lions while Livingston batted in four runs and scored one herself to lead the team.
After a quiet first inning for both teams, Penn State threatened in the top of the second by loading the bases on a drawn walk from freshman Kathryn Rex, a single by senior Destiny Weber, and a hit-by-pitch from senior Amanda Grieco, but Robert Morris was able to get out of the jam to keep the game scoreless.
However, Penn State continued the momentum in its next time at-bat, starting with a lead-off single by Morrison. Livingston then tripled to get the first run on the board for the Nittany Lions.
A Robert Morris error and then a double by Crouthamel would make it 3-0 Penn State in the third.
Penn State would add one run on a hit by Morrison and three drawn walks by Legg, Finnegan and Livingston to give the Nittany Lions a four-run advantage in the top of the fourth.
A big fifth inning would then give Penn State the way to a run-rule victory of its own. Crouthamel starting the frame with a stand-up double before scoring on a hit by Grieco who was able to advance all the way to third on a throwing error.
Grieco then scored on a wild pitch and then Morrison and Finnegan both walked before being plated by Livingston's double to the left field wall.
Parshall threw her second-straight complete-game shutout of the tournament, only giving up two hits.
Crouthamel's two-RBI outing marks the first multi-RBI performance of her career.
On Deck
Penn State concludes weekend one of its spring break trip against Western Michigan in the Clearwater Spring Break Invitational Sunday at 9 a.m.
