Penn State Softball Series Grades vs Minnesota
After a tough weekend at home, the Nittany Lions hit the road. Penn State journeyed north to take on Minnesota for its Big Ten road opener.
The blue and white battled over the weekend, but ultimately dropped the series to the Golden Gophers, 2-1.
Let’s reflect on the team’s weekend in Minneapolis:
Batting: B-
Penn State’s bats have seen better days.
Earlier this season, there have been electric home runs, clutch triples and outstanding doubles at Beard Field. At the Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minnesota, the Nittany Lions’ bats were quieter than normal.
Emily Maddock was a bright spot for the Nittany Lions, notching multiple hits over the road trip, however, her effort was not enough to win the series.
The Lion-Gopher battles were low scoring reflecting the rosters’ similar skill sets, but Minnesota succeeded in the executions at the plate. Penn State has the power in the box, but it was unable to capitalize to push itself past its northern opponent.
Fielding: C+
The Nittany Lions did not have their best feet forward against the competitive Golden Gophers. The brick wall defense has been seen earlier this season but seemed absent on Sunday.
Penn State managed to prevent any errors across the weekend but figuratively dropped the ball after their pitchers dealt strikes.
The infield lacked energy. The blue and white are usually energetic when on the dirt, but being away from home, it was not the usual scrappy team.
There were a few sloppy plays and almost costly miscommunications in the outfield. The change in geography and lack of aggression on the diamond may have been the cause of the pair of losses on the road.
Pitching: A-
Pitchers carried the weekend from both teams. It was a battle of the bullpens over the trifecta of games.
Friday was an aces duel between Penn State’s Bailey Parshall and Minnesota’s Autumn Pease. It came down to the final inning where the Gophers found the golden pitch and sent it over the fence.
Despite the walk-off homerun, the Nittany Lions’ pitching staff allowed only five runs over the entire weekend. It was not a winning weekend, but State’s pitchers were the highlight of the defense.
Weather: F(reezing)
It was a cold weekend for softball. Friday’s game set the tone for the chilly weekend, the second Big Ten matchup of the season.
A 37-degree windchill was detrimental to the Nittany Lions despite their strong defense throughout the first game. Frigid fingers and shivered throws showed they were a little out of their usual habitat.
Additionally, an overnight blizzard pushed Saturday’s game to a doubleheader on Sunday. Needless to say, the heat from the pitchers’ didn’t help warm up the weekend.
Meghan Strange is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her email mgs5649@psu.edu.
