COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Courtesy of a pair of home runs from senior first baseman Lexie Black, Penn State softball recorded a thrilling 3-2 extra-inning win over the Maryland Terrapins in the opening game of a three-game stretch on Friday night at Maryland Softball Stadium.
Following the win, Penn State improved to 25-13 overall and 6-9 in Big Ten Conference competition. The Nittany Lions have won four consecutive games against league foes dating to a weekend sweep of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights a week ago, in addition to a five-game overall win streak when factoring in PSU's run-rule win over Bucknell on Tuesday night. The Blue & White moved to 3-0 in extra-inning games during the 2023 season following Friday's raucous win on the road against the Terrapins. In defeat, Maryland dropped to 30-14 overall and matched PSU with a 6-9 record against B1G challengers.
Black left hundreds of Terrapin fans speechless on Friday night, going 2-for-4 overall with a pair of home runs. The Omaha, Nebraska, native moved into sole possession of the team lead in home runs during the 2023 campaign, booking eight long balls this season. Additionally, Black matched the single-game Penn State record for home runs, tying with 16 other Nittany Lion graduates for that accolade. Penn State has left the yard seven times in its last three games and has recorded multiple homers in each of its last three outings.
Junior third baseman Emily Maddock continued her reign of dominance over opposing pitchers in Big Ten play, going a perfect 3-for-3 in the box in addition to a well-executed sacrifice bunt in the top of the fifth. Senior left fielder Maggie Finnegan went 2-for-4 at the plate against the Terrapins and booked a stand-up double in the process, extending her hitting streak to seven straight games. Sophomore designated player Maddie Gordon also booked her seventh-straight game with a hit, tying with Finnegan for the longest active stretch at PSU.
Penn State called on the one-two punch of fifth-year lefty Bailey Parshall and fifth-year right-hander Kylee Lingenfelter to book the winning decision in the series opener at Maryland. Lingenfelter started the game, her 15th start of the season, and finished the night after 3.2 innings of work while scattering three hits and yielding one unearned run. Parshall went the rest of the way, tossing 4.1 innings in the circle while surrendering three hits and one earned run. The Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, native struck out three Terrapins while walking only one, tossing 54 total pitches and earning the winning decision in the process. Parshall's overall season record climbed to 15-8 following the win.
The back-and-forth battle began with a relatively quiet start as both pitchers worked their way into the contest. Maryland starter Courtney Wyche, who booked a complete game after tossing a valiant 155 total pitches, dueled it out with Lingenfelter for two-and-a-half scoreless frames. The Terrapins struck first in the bottom of the third, as Jaeda McFarland reached on a hit by pitch. After Mackense Greico struck out swinging, McFarland stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Amelia Lech stepped up to the dish and booked a sac fly to deep left that brought McFarland home for the opening run of the game.
After a pair of scoreless innings from Penn State, the Nittany Lions found their offense in the top of the fifth as senior catcher Cassie Lindmark hit a single on a 3-2 count. Lydia Coleman came in to pinch run for her at first base, and Maddock utilized a perfectly executed sac bunt to move Coleman over to second. A 1-4-3 groundout by Kaitlyn Morrison allowed Coleman to reach third, and in the next at-bat, Black teed off on a 1-2 pitch that brought a pair of runs in and allowed Penn State to take the lead for the first time. Maryland wasted no time in finding a response to PSU's fifth frame, as the Terrapins logged a leadoff double from McFarland. After a pair of Maryland outs, Trinity Schlotterbeck tallied an RBI single on an 0-1 count that brought McFarland around to tie the game.
With the game deadlocked at 2-2, neither squad managed to find the decisive run before the final out of the seventh inning, forcing Penn State into its third extra-inning contest of the 2023 campaign. Despite the high-pressure situation and a sizable home field crowd, the Nittany Lions entered the top of the eighth inning determined to secure their fifth-straight win. Black led off in the top of the eighth inning and pelted what proved to be the game-winning home run over the fence in dead center. Despite Maryland's best effort at a comeback, the Nittany Lions were able to grind out their third extra-inning win of the season in 3-2 fashion.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Lexie Black | 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Emily Maddock | 3-for-3, 3 H
Maggie Finnegan | 2-for-4, 2B
Bailey Parshall | 4.1 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 3K, 54 TP
KEY INNINGS
B3 | Jaeda McFarland reached on a hit by pitch. After Mackense Greico struck out swinging, McFarland stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Amelia Lech stepped up to the dish and booked a sac fly to deep left that brought McFarland home. UMD 1, PSU 0.
T5 | Cassie Lindmark hit a single on a 3-2 count and Lydia Coleman came in to pinch run for her at first base. Emily Maddock utilized a perfectly executed sac bunt to move Coleman over to second, and a 1-4-3 groundout by Kaitlyn Morrison allowed Coleman to reach third. In the next at-bat, Lexie Black teed off on a 1-2 pitch that brought a pair of runs in and allowed Penn State to take the lead for the first time. PSU 2, UMD 1
B5 | Maryland wasted no time in finding a response to PSU's fifth frame, as the Terrapins logged a leadoff double from McFarland. After a pair of Maryland outs, Trinity Schlotterbeck tallied an RBI single on an 0-1 count that brought McFarland around to tie the game. PSU 2, UMD 2
T8 | Black led off in the top of the eighth inning and pelted what proved to be the game-winning home run over the fence in dead center. PSU 3, UMD 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball remains in the mid-Atlantic for the second leg of its three-game series against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, April 22. In the interest of avoiding impending inclement weather, Saturday's first pitch at Maryland Softball Stadium has been moved up to 11:30 a.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.
