MINNEAPOLIS – Penn State softball pitched six shutout innings, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers mustered a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to take the first leg of a three-game stretch by a 2-0 margin on Friday at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Penn State moved to 19-7 overall in the 2023 campaign and dropped to 1-3 in Big Ten Conference play, having dropped each of its last three contests. The Nittany Lions experienced their first true road loss of the season, falling to 6-1 in games played on the opponent's home field. Following the walk-off win, Minnesota climbed to 20-13 overall and picked up its first victory in Big Ten action after suffering a road sweep against the Northwestern Wildcats last week.
Senior rightfielder Maggie Finnegan led the way for the Nittany Lions in the batter's box on Friday, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles. Finnegan, a native of McHenry, Illinois, recorded multiple hits in a game for the fourth time this season and the first time since connecting on a pair of singles against Saint Francis on March 10. Junior designated player Emily Maddock knocked a double in the first inning, recording a hit for the fifth-straight game. The Kempton, Pennsylvania, native owns the longest active hitting streak on the team, with her five consecutive games tied for the third-longest overall streak at PSU this year.
Redshirt senior Bailey Parshall battled through 6.2 innings of work, securing her ninth complete-game effort of the 2023 season. The Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, native scattered seven hits and surrendered two earned runs in the game. Parshall booked four strikeouts in total, with all four coming in the first four innings of the competition, in addition to a single walk on 102 total pitches.
The game began with a back-and-forth pitcher's duel between Parshall and fifth-year Golden Gopher right-hander Autumn Pease. Minnesota's ace finished with eight strikeouts overall, but neither pitcher allowed more than one hit per frame through the first six innings. With the series opener on the line in the top of the seventh, Pease was forced to face just four batters, with Finnegan booking the lone hit for PSU in the top of the final frame on a double to left field.
In the home half of the seventh, Gopher rightfielder Nani Valencia singled to PSU's second baseman, and Breezy Burnett came in to pinch run at first. Minnesota first baseman Delanie Cox bumped Burnett over to second on a sac bunt just before Amani Bradley flew out to a fully outstretched Lilia Crouthamel in center field, one of the more spectacular individual defensive plays by a Nittany Lion to date. With two outs on the board, Gopher third baseman Kayla Chavez sent the game-winning home run into left field to finalize the 2-0 score.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Maggie Finnegan | 2-for-3, 2 2B
Emily Maddock | 1-for-3, 2B
Bailey Parshall | 6.2 IP, 7H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 4K, 102TP
KEY INNINGS
B7 | Nani Valencia singled to the second baseman, and Breezy Burnett pinch ran for Valencia. Delanie Cox bumped Burnett over to second on a sac bunt just before Amani Bradley flew out to a fully outstretched Lilia Crouthamel in center field. With two outs, Kayla Chavez sent the game-winning home run into left field. MINN 2, PSU 0
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its weekend series in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, as the Nittany Lions square off against Minnesota in game two on Saturday, April 1. First pitch at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium is slated for 2 p.m. ET, with streaming available via B1G+.
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.
