Penn State Softball Cruises To 7-0 Win Over Canisius
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball knocks off Canisius College in deciding fashion Saturday, by a score of 7-0.
Head coach Clarissa Crowell and company took on the Canisius Golden Griffins at Beard Field this weekend, resulting in an impressive Penn State victory.
The Nittany Lions were spurred on by starting pitcher Bailey Parshall, who allowed only one hit and one walk through seven innings pitched, along with nine strikeouts. Parshall moves to 10-3 on the season, throwing another complete game on her resume.
Kaitlyn Morrison and Liana Jones both dominated at the plate against Canisius starter Alexis Churchill, hitting homers in consecutive innings to start the game off. The Nittany Lions had a solid offensive showing, with seven different players getting on base.
The game began with a quick three pitch strikeout from Parshall, setting down Canisius infielder Saige Alfaro. Parshall began to falter in the next at-bat, allowing her only walk of the game.
However, the Pennsylvania native would recover quickly, forcing a 1-2 pitch groundout and then notching another strikeout to finish off the top of the first inning.
Penn State took its first at bats of the game in the bottom of the first, and started off the scoring affair quickly.
Leading off, junior Melody Coombs took a walk on a 3-1 count, and put Penn State in an advantageous position early on.
Morrison got the job done with one out gone in the inning, crushing a home run to make it a 2-0 ball game.
The second inning started off similarly to the first, the lefty Parshall setting down two consecutive batters on strikes after falling behind with women on first and second.
In the bottom of the second, the junior outfielder Jones kept the scoring going, notching Penn State’s second homer of the game in consecutive innings. Jones homered with two outs gone, stretching the Nittany Lions’ lead to 3-0.
The middle innings featured continued dominance from Parshall, as she prevented a runner from reaching first base all the way up to the top of the sixth inning.
Penn State continued to score, taking advantage of two Canisius errors in the bottom of the fourth. Seniors Lexie Black and Michelle Leone both reached home on passed balls, extending Penn State’s lead to 6-0.
The blue and white would add another run in the bottom of the sixth for good measure, as junior righty Amanda Mack would double to left, scoring Morgan Farrah, and making it a 7-0 game.
The game was soon out of reach, and the Nittany Lions put the pressure on Canisius defensively. Parshall finished the shutout in decisive fashion, and moved her record as a starter to 10-3 on the year.
The Golden Griffins fall to 10-9 overall and 2-4 on the road this year. Penn State improves to 17-4 overall, 3-1 on home field — winning its 10th game in the last 11.
Parker Silverman is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email pws5405@psu.edu.
