WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fifth-year right-handed pitcher Kylee Lingenfelter published one of the greatest pitching performances in Penn State softball history on Saturday afternoon, as the Nittany Lions dispatched with the Purdue Boilermakers in a 3-1, 12-inning performance at Bittinger Stadium.
Entering the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, native Lingenfelter pitched 8.0 perfect innings from that point forward. Lingenfelter faced the minimum 24 batters, walking none while allowing zeros in the hit, run and earned run columns. She sat down seven Boilermakers by way of strikeouts, bringing her individual record to 11-4 overall in 2023. Lingenfelter already surpassed her single-season career best win tally with her 10th victorious decision on Friday against Purdue.
As a team, the Blue & White improved to 30-14 overall and ensured a .500-or-better record in Big Ten Conference competition, moving to 11-10 with one game left to play. After last season's 33-22 campaign, the Nittany Lions officially published back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since the 2005 and 2006 teams accomplished that feat. In the 58-year history of Penn State softball, the 2023 edition of the Blue & White became just the 14th squad to meet the 30-win threshold.
Penn State's dominance in the last 11 games has been remarkable, with the Nittany Lions taking 10-of-11 contests in addition to 9-of-10 games against B1G foes in that span. PSU's past 11 games have featured a pair of five-game win streaks, each tied for the third-longest victorious stretch of the 2023 season in Happy Valley. In the all-time series with Purdue, Penn State secured its 33rd all-time victory and came away with its sixth-straight win over the Boilermakers dating to its last loss in 2019. In defeat, Purdue falls to 22-30 and 5-17 in the Big Ten.
On a day where offense seemed hard to come by, the Nittany Lions still managed to knock 10 hits in the game with multiple-hit outings from a pair of PSU batters. The Blue & White recorded 10 hits or more for the ninth time this year and have registered eight-or-more hits in each of the last 10 games. Senior left fielder Maggie Finnegan led the way in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with an RBI in addition to one run scored. Fifth-year center fielder Lilia Crouthamel had an efficient performance as well, going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Finally, senior shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison published what proved to be the game-winning two-RBI double in the top of the 12th inning, driving home Finnegan and senior first baseman Lexie Black in the process.
In addition to Lingenfelter's other-worldly effort in the circle, fifth-year southpaw Bailey Parshall logged the start and published a strong outing of her own. The Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, native went 4.0 innings, scattering three hits with one earned run in the contest while striking out three batters and walking none. Behind PSU's dynamic pitching duo, the defense played error-free for the 22nd time this year and third time in the last four games.
Both offenses took the first three innings to settle in, as neither squad could get anything going against Parshall or Purdue starter Madi Elish. As the bottom of the fourth inning rolled around, Boilermaker star and eventual losing pitcher Alex Echazarreta opened the scoring by launching a solo home run to left field in the first at-bat of the frame. Parshall worked the rest of the inning without incident, and Penn State headed to the box in the top of the fifth trailing by one.
Senior designated player Kathryn Rex worked a leadoff walk to open the inning and Lydia Coleman came in to pinch run for her at first base. Melody Coombs executed an excellent sac bunt to move Coleman over to second, and Lilia Crouthamel's single through the left side placed Nittany Lion runners on the corners. Lauren Marcotte pinch hit for Cassie Lindmark and singled toward the third baseman to load the bases. Returning to the top of the order, Maggie Finnegan sent a sac fly to center, bringing Coleman around to tie the game.
Before Purdue could get settled in against Parshall, the Nittany Lions opted for a pitching change and brought Lingenfelter in for a relief appearance. What followed was one of the most impressive individual efforts in school history. Facing the minimum 24 batters through eight innings in the circle, the Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, native did just enough to give the Blue & White a window of opportunity in the top of the 12th inning.
Finnegan started things off, lining a single right at the pitcher that the Boilermakers failed to corral. By the time Echazarreta had picked up the ball and tried a throw to first, her attempt sailed long and allowed Finnegan to advance to second. Junior third baseman Emily Maddock executed a flawless sacrifice bunt that moved Finnegan to third, while Black drew a walk to put runners on the corners. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Morrison drilled the ball to right center, allowing Finnegan and Black time to finish their journeys around the basepath. Another perfect inning from Lingenfelter closed the game out, and the Nittany Lions left Bittinger Stadium with their fourth straight B1G series win.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Maggie Finnegan | 2-for-5, RBI, 1 R
Lilia Crouthamel | 2-for-4, 2B, BB
Kaitlyn Morrison | 1-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI
Kylee Lingenfelter | 8.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 7K, 24 BF, WIN
KEY INNINGS
B4 | Alex Echazarreta opened the scoring by launching a solo home run to left field in the first at-bat of the inning.PUR 1, PSU 0
T5 | Kathryn Rex worked a leadoff walk to open the inning and Lydia Coleman came in to pinch run for her at first base. Melody Coombs executed an excellent sac bunt to move Coleman over to second, and Lilia Crouthamel's single through the left side placed Nittany Lion runners on the corners. Lauren Marcotte pinch hit for Cassie Lindmark and singled toward the third baseman to load the bases. Returning to the top of the order, Maggie Finnegan sent a sac fly to center, bringing Coleman around to tie the game. PSU 1, PUR 1
T12 | Finnegan lined a single at the pitcher that the Boilermakers failed to corral, advancing to second after a throwing error by the pitcher. Emily Maddock executed a flawless sacrifice bunt that moved Finnegan to third, while Lexie Black drew a walk to put runners on the corners. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Kaitlyn Morrison drilled the ball to right center, allowing Finnegan and Black time to finish their journeys around the basepath. PSU 3, PUR 1
UP NEXT
Penn State softball's final series of the 2023 campaign concludes on Sunday, May 7, as the Nittany Lions square off against the Purdue Boilermakers in game three at Bittinger Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. (ET), with live streaming available to a worldwide audience via B1G+.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
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.
