Penn State Softball Gets Ready for In-State Rivalry against Pittsburgh

Story posted March 21, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Logan Bourandas

Penn State will look to keep its hot start to the 2023 season alive on Tuesday against Pitt for a one-game series.

The blue and white have looked dominant throughout their non-conference slate thus far, amounting to a 17-4 record which includes a 2-1 mark following their return to Beard Field last week.

Penn State split its double-header in the Penn State Invitational on Thursday with a win against UMBC and a loss against Cornell before winning 7-0 in the last game against Canisius on Saturday.

Bailey Parshall was her usual dominant self in the win pitching a complete game shutout allowing just one hit while striking out nine hitters.

Parshall now upped her record to 10-3 on the season and the offense was able to pick up her success on the mound.

Kaitlyn Morrison and Liana Jones each hit a home run in the win which was the first for both on the season, accounting for two of Penn State’s six hits on the day.

The Nittany Lions now look to take on a Pitt team looking to end a four-game losing streak.

That comes for the Panthers as they have already begun ACC conference play having been swept in a three-game series against Louisville over the weekend.

Pitt lost the first two games as a part of a Thursday doubleheader with a 12-2 loss in game one and a 5-4 loss later that day.

That came in spite of a Panthers' late comeback which saw them score four runs in the sixth inning to tie the game up but an Easton Lotus walk-off RBI single would end any potential hopes at a win.

Game three would also prove to be a close game with a 9-6 loss.

Pitt led 3-2 after three innings but the Cardinals would put up multiple runs in the next three innings to pull away.

That series knocked down the Panthers' record to 14-10 on the young season with this matchup against the Nittany Lions set to be the last road game for them before their home opener.

Offensively, the Panthers have two players hitting above a .400 average, both being graduate students, with Yvonne Whaley hitting at a .452 clip on the season while Sarah Seamans is right behind her with a .437 average as she also leads the team with six home runs.

On the mound, the Panthers have had five pitchers record at least one start but it is redshirt-sophomore Dani Drogemuller leading with 10 starts and has put up a 5-4 record and a 4.64 earned runs average.

Drogemuller started the ladder two games in the Louisville series which included a complete game with eight strikeouts in the walk-off game two loss.

This matchup will be the last test for the Nittany Lions before starting up Big Ten play later this week with Iowa coming to town.

Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.