Maryland softball (14-18) beat Penn State (5-22) 3-1 in its four-game series. This marks the Terps’ second home series win of the season.
Maryland took game one, leaving the Nittany Lions scoreless 1-0. Senior pitcher Jennifer Brann pitched a complete game, striking out six Penn State batters.
Offensively, the Terps were pretty quiet with only a total of three hits. Junior shortstop Ruby Butler stroked a triple while junior second baseman Taylor Okada and sophomore designated player Trinity Schlotterbeck each hit a single. The lone and winning run was from freshman Jaeda McFarland due to an error by sophomore third baseman Michelle Leone.
Nittany Lions junior pitcher Bailey Parshall also recorded six strikeouts. Parshall didn’t allow any walks or any earned runs. The team’s defense was subpar with three errors in the game. Penn State’s offense also fell short in backing up Pashall’s efforts on the mound.
Two of the four hits came from junior catcher Ally Kurland. Kurland hit a single and a double, but was unable to score for Penn State. Redshirt senior designated player Kennedy Legg went 1-3 with a double.
Maryland came back stronger for game two with a 11-1 mercy rule win. Schlotterbeck picked up the win, despite not recording a single strikeout and pitching a wild pitch. She held the Nittany Lions to one hit and one earned run in five innings.
McFarland slammed a home run scoring senior right fielder JoJo McRae and herself. Okada was on point, batted 3-3 with three singles and scored two runs for Maryland. Junior designated player Haley Ellefson and sophomore left fielder Campbell Kline also both batted 1.000. Ellefson hit a single and a double while Kline stroked a triple to center field.
Nittany Lions junior pitcher Kylee Lingenfelter recorded the loss with only 0.2 innings pitched. Lingenfelter allowed five hits and six earned runs. Together, Lingenfelter and senior pitcher Logan Black recorded three hit-by-pitches.
Penn State also struggled on the offensive side with one hit in five innings. The lone hit was a double from Legg, which scored junior second baseman Claire Swedberg. The Nittany Lions couldn’t find any momentum after having the 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Maryland fell short in game three 1-0. Both teams only had a total of three hits a piece, which created a low-scoring game. Maryland sophomore pitcher Courtney Wyche recorded the loss with one strikeout, one walk and one earned run.
The Terps were unable to string some hits and produce runs. Okada, Butler and freshman left fielder Megan Mikami each hit a single.
Nitanny Lions sophomore pitcher Vanessa Oatley achieved the win. Oatley pitched for four innings in which she allowed no walks. She didn’t record any strikeouts, but relied on her defense to back up her efforts.
Penn State also only had three singles in the entire game coming from Legg, Kurland and junior designated player Chelsea Bisi. Bisi’s single to center field in the fourth inning scored sophomore pinch runner Kailee Smith for the lone run.
Concluding the series, Maryland defeated Penn State in a close game 5-4. The Terps came back with a walk off, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Wyche recorded her third win of the season with one strikeout and no walks, hits or runs allowed.
Butler stole home in the first inning, giving Maryland its first run. Schlotterbeck hit a double and Butler hit a triple. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mikami had a RBI, which scored Butler. McFarland went 1-4 with a single. She scored the winning run in the seventh inning after getting on with a productive bunt.
Parshall was unable to slow the Terps’ seventh inning rally. She recorded her second loss of the series with five hits and four runs, one of which was earned.
Legg started off the first inning with a home run, giving Penn State the lead from the start. Kurland hit a 2 RBI double, which scored freshman right fielder Liana Jones and senior center fielder Dani Fey in the fifth inning, increasing Penn State’s lead to 3-1. The following inning, sophomore first baseman Maggie Finnegan scored.
This weekend, Maryland will face Nebraska (16-16) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tune in on the BTN +.
