The Penn State softball team lost an 8-7 game to the Pittsburgh Panthers on March 31 in non-conference play at Vartabedian Field.
The matchup was notable for its high scoring and late-game drama. Penn State collected seven runs on nine hits, with seven different players recording at least one hit. Sophomore center fielder Natalie Lieto led the team with three hits, including two doubles, matching her career highs. Junior designated player Jordan George hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning, while graduate right fielder Cara Bohner added an RBI double earlier in the game.
On the pitching side, junior right-handed pitcher Bridget Nemeth threw most of the innings for Penn State, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out six batters over 100 pitches. Freshman lefty Brevyn Kellepouris, junior righty McKenna Young, and sophomore Abigail Britton also pitched during a critical seventh inning.
Penn State took an early lead by scoring twice in the first inning and extended it throughout the fourth and sixth innings to go up by four runs heading into the bottom of the sixth. However, Pittsburgh rallied with a two-run homer in their half of the sixth before Penn State answered back with George’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh to make it a five-run advantage. The Panthers then scored six runs in their final at-bat—including a walk-off sacrifice fly—to secure victory.
With this result, Penn State dropped to a season record of 23-12 overall and will return to Big Ten Conference play against Maryland this weekend after recently sweeping Rutgers on the road. Pittsburgh improved its record to 18-16 overall as they prepare for upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference games against Syracuse.
Looking ahead, Penn State will host Maryland Terrapins for a three-game series from April 3 through April 5 at Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field.
