A Strong Wisconsin Hitting Performance Gives Penn State A Second Straight Loss
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- On a day filled with the emotions of senior day in the air, Penn State’s hitting was the downfall in a second straight loss to Wisconsin.
Ally Kurland, Bailey Parshall, Lilia Crouthamel, Shelli Rivard, Kylee Lingenfelter and Claire Swedburg started a sunny Saturday afternoon double-header with an 8-1 loss after a strong hitting performance from the Badgers.
After recording just five hits in 10 innings on Friday night, Wisconsin recorded 11 hits. That includes two home runs, tallying three RBIs.
Coming off a near-perfect game Friday night, Wisconsin’s pitcher Bailey Parshall put on another pitching clinic in four innings, allowing just one hit and walking one batter.
The Badgers started the game with a bang, with Fiona Girardot sending a home run to left field to get the scoring started.
Penn State got one on base after Liana Jones got hit by a pitch, but the Nittany Lions could not capitalize.
After recording just two hits through the first seven innings, Wisconsin went on a torrid stretch in the second with four runs in the inning.
With batters on first and third, Wisconsin took advantage of a miscommunication from the Nittany Lions’ infield with a bunt from Skylar Sirdashney to give the Badgers a 2-0 lead.
After a walk left bases loaded, the Badgers’ Kayla Konwent sent a single down the right side that brought in two runners to make it a 4-0 game.
The final run came off a sacrifice fly from Lauren Foster to extend the lead to 5-0.
Kylee Lingenfelter got the start at pitcher after Bailey Parshall threw 110 pitches in Friday night’s game.
While recording two strikeouts, the home run and three runs given up were enough to substitute junior Vanessa Oatley into the game in the middle of the second.
The scoring continued for the Badgers in the 3rd after Ellie Hubbard sent a single up the center bringing in Ally Miklesh from 2nd to make it 6-0.
The Nittany Lions could not stop the bleeding in the bottom half of the inning despite a single from Lexie Black.
Wisconsin poured it on in the fourth with a two-run RBI home run from Lauren Foster that was bobbled at the wall by Crouthamel.
After the two teams went scoreless at their next two at-bats, Rivard would stop a mercy-rule bid with a home run to center field to cut the deficit to 8-1. It was Rivard’s first home run and hit of her career.
That would end the scoring as both teams went scoreless in the final two innings. After giving up three runs in her first two full innings, Oatley gave up just three hits in the final three innings.
Through two games against the Badgers, the Nittany Lions have recorded just three official hits and left four runners on base combined.
Another loss impacts the Big Ten standings as well with Ohio State (11-8 in-conference record) overtaking the Nittany Lions’ spot (10-9) in the standings.
The Nittany Lions will play in the second game of the doubleheader following this game due to rain in the weather forecast for the originally scheduled game.
Timothy Lonas is a third-year majoring in digital/print journalism. To contact him, email him at tpl5336@psu.edu
