PITTSBURGH, PA. – The Penn State softball team (11-11, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated Pitt (11-9, 1-2 ACC) 6-0 at Vartabedian Field in Pittsburgh on Wednesday evening.
Bailey Parshall tied her season high in strikeouts with 12 and only allowed two hits against the Panthers. Ally Kurland went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Kaitlyn Morrison went 3-for-3 with two doubles in the win. Lauren Marcotte also went 2-for-2 with two RBI.
How It Happened
Both teams didn't get any offense going until the second inning. Morrison was initially called out, but after review the call was reversed and she had an infield single, giving Penn State its first base runner of the game. Cami Compson was then able to get on base after being hit by pitch for the Panthers in the bottom of the inning but was left stranded on third. Both teams were scoreless through two.
The Nittany Lions got on the board in the top of the third. Lauren Marcotte reached base on a walk and a Cassie Lindmark single put runners on the corners. Ally Kurland then hit a single through the right side of the infield, driving home Marcotte for the 1-0 lead. Michelle Leone copied Kurland the next play, hitting the ball in almost the exact same place, driving in a run and giving Penn State the 2-0 lead.
Penn State tallied another run in the top of the fourth thanks to a Marcotte single up the middle, driving home Lilia Crouthamel for a 3-0 lead.
Bailey Parshall was cooking in the circle, striking out five of the six batters she saw in the third and fourth inning. After five innings, Parshall was up to eight strikeouts while allowing no hits.
In the top of the sixth, Morrison recorded her second hit of the day in the form of a double. It was the last action pitcher Dani Drogemuller saw for Pitt, as Makenzie Stiles entered the game. Marcotte drove in another run with a double and a wild pitch extended the Nittany Lions' lead to 5-0. Kurland notched her second RBI of the day a couple of at bats later, extending the lead to 6-0 midway through the sixth.
Parshall's no hit bid was broken up in the bottom of the sixth, when Taegen Lewellen hit a looping single into short right field. Pitt was able to get one more hit in the inning, but Parshall allowed nothing more, accumulating 10 strikeouts after six innings.
Morrison hit her second double of the game to lead off the seventh, but Penn State couldn't turn it into runs. Parshall struck out two of the final three batters she faced, securing the 6-0 win for the Nittany Lions.
Game notes:
-Bailey Parshall tied her season high in strikeouts with 12, matching her last performance against Pitt on February 13.
-The Nittany Lions tied their season high in hits in a game with 12.
-Kaitlyn Morrison recorded her first multi-hit game of the season. She is the fourth Nittany Lion to record two doubles in a game this season.
-Lauren Marcotte recorded her third multi-hit game of the season. It's her second multi-RBI game of 2022.
-Ally Kurland recorded her team-leading 19th RBI in the win over Pitt. It's her sixth multi-hit game of the season and fourth multi-RBI game.
Up Next:
Penn State returns home to Happy Valley to host the Penn State Softball Invitational from March 18-20. The Nittany Lions will play Rider, Cornell, and UMass Lowell over the course of the weekend.
