EVANSTON, Ill.– Penn State softball managed to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning, but the Nittany Lions' late comeback attempt ultimately fell short as No. 23 Northwestern defeated PSU by a 9-4 margin Friday night on Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
Following Friday night's series-opening defeat, the Nittany Lions drop to 20-9 overall and maintain a 2-5 ledger in Big Ten Conference competition. Northwestern's win saw the Wildcats climb to 22-9 overall and 7-1 in the league, one spot behind first-place Indiana which owns a 9-0 record in B1G play. The Wildcats improve to 52-19 all-time against Penn State, while the Blue & White continue to search for their first win against NU since 2011.
Senior first baseman Lexie Black wreaked havoc on Northwestern starter and reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams in the top of the sixth, connecting on a merciless no-doubt two-run shot to left field that careened off Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. Black, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, finished the night 1-for-3 with two RBI. Senior third baseman Kaitlyn Morrison and fifth-year pinch hitter Morgan Farrah each tallied ribbies of their own for the Nittany Lions on top of Black's dominant dinger. PSU finished the night with six hits in addition to a pair of walks drawn by junior second baseman Melody Coombs.
Penn State dove deep into the bullpen in the weekend opener, calling on four different pitchers to match up with Northwestern's offensive attack. Fifth-year lefty Bailey Parshall entered the circle to start the game, tossing 2.0 innings and striking out one Wildcat batter. Parshall surrendered a trio of runs, with all three being scored as unearned. Sophomore right-hander Lydia Spalding made her first Big Ten appearance of the 2023 season starting in the bottom of the third, facing eight batters over the course of 2.0 innings and holding Northwestern scoreless during her time in the circle. PSU also saw action from fifth-year righty Kylee Lingenfelter, whose record dropped to 5-2 overall after being saddled with the loss, in addition to senior southpaw Vanessa Oatley.
After PSU failed to get anything going in the top of the first, Northwestern rolled out of the gates with a three-run home half that put the Wildcats up early. A pair of costly Nittany Lion errors placed NU runners on the corners with none out. After Maeve Nelson stole second to put runners on second and third, a successful squeeze play bunted off the bat of Hannah Cady brought Skyler Shellmyer home and moved Nelson to third. Nikki Cuchran singled to right center, plating Nelson, and Kelsey Nader logged a single to center that brought Cady in.
Things settled in the next two innings as both squads familiarized themselves with the opposing pitchers. The top of the fourth inning saw Penn State's offense come to life as Coombs was hit by a Wildcat pitch and advanced to second after Emily Maddock singled to center field. A flyout by Black moved Coombs over to third, and Morrison sent an RBI single through the left side that brought Coombs home to cut Northwestern's lead back to 3-1.
Penn State managed to tie the game up at three runs apiece after a thrilling performance in the top of the sixth. Coombs drew a walk but was out on the ensuing play at second after senior catcher Cassie Lindmark reached on a fielder's choice. Freshman Jenna Nelson pinch ran for Lindmark and was out at second following another fielder's choice from Maddock. Black stepped into the box and pelted the softball over the wall in deep left for her fourth home run of the season to tie things up. Unfazed by PSU's comeback effort, Northwestern responded in the bottom of the sixth inning with a six-run performance to retake the lead for good. One last rally by the Nittany Lions in the top of the seventh netted a run, but Northwestern ultimately completed the 9-4 outing.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Lexie Black | 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 1 R
Kaitlyn Morrison | 1-for-3, RBI
Morgan Farrah | 1-for-1, RBI
KEY INNINGS
B1 | Skyler Shellmyer reached on an error by the shortstop. Maeve Nelson reached on a fielder's choice to the third baseman, and Shellmyer advanced to second on a throwing error, moving to third in the hubbub that followed. Nelson stole second, and Hannah Cady bunted Shellmyer home on a squeeze that moved Nelson to third. Nikki Cuchran singled to right center, plating Nelson, and Kelsey Nader logged a single to center that brought Cady in. NU 3, PSU 0
T4 | Melody Coombs was hit by a Wildcat pitch and advanced to second after Emily Maddock singled to center field. A Lexie Black flyout moved Coombs over to third, and Kaitlyn Morrison sent an RBI single through the left side that brought Coombs home. NU 3, PSU 1
T6 | Coombs drew a walk but was out on the ensuing play at second after Lindmark reached on a fielder's choice. Jenna Nelson pinch ran for Lindmark and was out at second following another fielder's choice from Maddock. Black stepped into the box and belted a no-doubter two-run homer off Welsh-Ryan Arena in deep left field to tie things up. PSU 3, NU 3
B6 | Ayana Lindsey opened the inning with a solo-shot to left field. NU put two more on the basepath after Kansas Robinson singled to the shortstop and Shellmyer walked. Nelson doubled to left center, moving Shellmyer to third and plating Robinson. Cady recorded a sac fly to left field that scored Shellmyer, Cuchran walked and Zedak launched a three-run homer to right that wrapped up the six-run Wildcat inning. NU 9, PSU 3
T7 | Maggie Finnegan was hit by a Northwestern pitch to lead off the inning. Michelle Leone entered the game as a pinch hitter and struck out swinging, but Finnegan was able to advance to second on a wild pitch. Morgan Farrah came in to pinch hit for Liana Jones in the following at-bat, and she recorded an RBI single down the left field line that brought Finnegan home. NU 9, PSU 4
UP NEXT
Penn State softball's weekend series in Chicagoland rolls on, as the Nittany Lions continue action against No. 23 Northwestern in game two on Saturday, April 8. First pitch on Sharon J. Drysdale Field is slated for 2 p.m. ET, with streaming available via B1G+.
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