Penn State Sweeps Rutgers in Saturday Doubleheader with 4-3 Victory in Game 2

Story posted April 10, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Grace Muratore

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Despite falling behind early in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Penn State came back to secure a win over Rutgers 4-2 and earn its first series win of the 2021 season.

The batting observed by the Nittany Lions in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader failed to carry over early in the game as they continued their battle against the Scarlet Knights in the final game of a four-game series.

Rutgers took the lead with a two-run third inning. Hailey Hoklotubbe led the inning off with a single to right field. After a sacrifice bunt by Kiana Workman, Hoklotubbe advanced to second base and later stole third to put herself in scoring position. 

As the inning progressed, Rutgers had runners on first and third, those runners being Lauren Punk and Hoklotubbe respectively. When both runners attempted to steal, Hoklotubbe recorded the first run for Rutgers, while Punk advanced to second base.

Gabrielle Callaway came into this series as Rutgers’ strongest player, batting .343. She proved to be a valuable hitter when she doubled to center field, scoring Punk from second base and earning her 14th RBI.

Throughout the first half of this game, Penn State got runners on base but lacked the offense it needed to bring those runners home. 

After an RBI double by Megan Herka to score Payton Lincavage in the top of the fourth, Rutgers was up 3-0 over Penn State going into the bottom of the fifth inning. It was then that the Nittany Lions found some perseverance and began their fight to take the lead. 

Melina Livingston, the leadoff batter for Penn State, found some momentum after doubling down the right-field line with one out. Lilia Crouthamel, batting next, singled to left field, allowing Livingston to score and put the Nittany Lions on the board. 

Penn State rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning when it recorded three more runs to put itself up over Rutgers by one. With the bases loaded, Michelle Leone singled to right field to score Melody Coombs from third base. 

Crouthamel stepped into the batter’s box with the bases still loaded from previous plays. This time, she doubled to left field and recorded two more RBIs, scoring the runners on second and third. 

The offense came alive for the Nittany Lions just when they needed it the most. Penn State head coach Clarisa Crowell said she was proud of her team’s comeback in the sixth inning with two outs.

“I just think it shows the fight and the grit that they’ve been showing all year, and they deserve to get that sweep today,” Crowell said. 

In response to having three consecutive games where Penn State had the offense, defense and pitching to secure a win, Crowell said being able to have all three aspects of the team perform well results in a great day.

“They just find ways to battle and compete, and I’ve really just loved seeing what they’ve been able to do,” Crowell said. 

The Penn State Nittany Lions are now 4-19 on the season. The team will travel to East Lansing, Michigan, where will take on Michigan State in a four-game series starting Friday, April 16.

 

Grace Muratore is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gem5301@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

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Grace Muratore

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Grace Muratore is a third-year student from Fredericksburg, Virginia majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in Spanish. She is a writer for the CommRadio arts & entertainment department, and works within the production department creating elements for various sporting events. Grace also is a field reporter and part of the studio crew for PSNtv, Penn State’s biweekly news show. Currently, she is interning with Penn State Athletics doing live video production. If you would like to contact Grace, email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).