COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Penn State softball team fell in a tough way to Maryland to close out the series Sunday afternoon at Maryland Softball Stadium. The Nittany Lions (5-22, 5-22 Big Ten) held the lead going in to the bottom of the seventh before the Terrapins (14-18, 14-18 Big Ten) scored three runs to walk off for the series win.
The game started with redshirt senior Kennedy Legg continuing her hot streak during this Maryland series, with a hit in every single game, including a solo home run on the third pitch of the game to give the Nittany Lions an early 1-0 advantage.
Maryland came right back in the bottom of the first to tie the game after a two-out triple and then a delayed steal to make it 1-1 after one.
The next three frames were scoreless for both teams as sophomore starting pitcher Vanessa Oatley did not give up a hit and retired nine-straight Terrapins.
In the top of the fifth, senior Dani Fey registered her second hit of the game with a lead-off single to right field. Sophomore Michelle Leone then advanced Fey to second on a sacrifice bunt before Fey got to third on a groundout by junior Claire Swedberg.
Legg then drew a two-out walk to put runners on the corners as freshman Liana Jones came in to pinch run. Junior Ally Kurland then came to the plate and delivered a ball right down the chalk of the right-field line to score both Fey and Jones to make it 3-1 Penn State.
Maryland tried to counter in the bottom of the frame, getting two on by error and hit with two outs, but the defense got the third out to maintain the two-run advantage.
The Nittany Lions added an insurance run in the sixth with a lead-off single by sophomore Maggie Finnegan and then a little bloop single by classmate Kaitlyn Morrison that when the throw went home, it went past the catcher allowing Finnegan to score.
The Terps brought it back to a two-run game, 4-2, in the bottom of the sixth, scoring one run on two hits.
In the bottom of the seventh, Maryland recorded back-to-back base hits with one out. Its lead-off hitter, Jaeda McFarland, then came to the plate and registered a bunt that would've just loaded the bases, but a poor throw to first ended up in the outfield and the Terrapins used speed to plate all three runners for the walk-off victory.
ON DECK
Penn State returns to Happy Valley to host a ranked Michigan Wolverines squad at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field in a four-game series, April 30-May 2.
GAME NOTES
- Redshirt senior Kennedy Legg had a hit in every game of the series and now holds a season-long four-game hit streak. Three of her four hits were multi-hit games with two doubles and a home run.
- Junior Ally Kurland is also now on a season-long four-game hit streak as she registered at least one hit in each game of the series.
- Senior Dani Fey registered her second multi-hit game of the season.
- Junior Bailey Parshall entered the circle to pitch in relief and registered two strikeouts. She now sits at sixth alone all-time for career strikeouts with 390, passing Marisa Hanson (388; 2001-04).