UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – The Penn State softball team (9-10) closes out its spring break trip at the Delaware Invitational in Newark, Delaware. With expected inclement weather in the northeast Saturday, the schedule has been modified for the Delaware Invitational. Penn State will now play the host Blue Hens in a doubleheader Friday at noon and 2:30 p.m., and will no longer play Canisius Saturday. Friday's doubleheader will be streamed on FloSoftball, which does require a subscription.
The Nittany Lions were originally slated to face Delaware in one game on Friday before playing Canisius and the Blue Hens in a pair of games Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State and Delaware have met twice previously with the Nittany Lions claiming wins in both contests. The last time the Lions and Blue Hens met, PSU posted a 9-1 win in six innings in the 2010 ECU Pirate Classic. Penn State's other win was a 4-2 win in the 1978 season.
SCOUTING THE BLUE HENS
- The Blue Hens are 12-6 on the season and enter the Delaware Invitational as winners of seven of their last eight games, including a 4-1 mark at the FAU Invitational last weekend.
- Hanna Garber is the offensive leader for Delaware, hitting .418 with 20 runs scored and 14 RBI. She owns an impressive .776 slugging percentage thanks to three doubles, three triples and three home runs.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Nittany Lions took the early lead but were not able hold on in a tough battle with No. 13 Duke before falling 4-2 in Durham Tuesday evening.
- The Nittany Lions wasted no time getting on the board as Ally Kurland ripped her ninth double of the year to the gap. After Kurland advanced to third on Michelle Leone's ground out, Lexie Black went deep to center for a two-run homer and the early lead for Penn State. Black's home run is her fifth of the season and extends her team-leading hit streak to eight games.
- After Bailey Parshall recorded the first two outs, Duke worked the count for a pair of walks before a single by Kelly Torres scored Jameson Kavel. Parshall induced a foul out to end the threat. The Blue Devils would strike again with two outs in the second inning on a Deja Davis solo shot to tie the game at 2-2.
- Both pitchers settled into a groove over the next couple of innings until the Blue Devils managed to push two runs across to take a 4-2 lead after five innings. The Lions were not able to close the gap
QUEEN B
- Senior Bailey Parshall continues to lead what has been a standout pitching staff for the Nittany Lions this season. Parshall paces the Nittany Lions with a 5-3 record and a 2.04 ERA in 68.2 innings pitched.
- She is tied for 28th in the NCAA in strikeouts with 77.
- Parshall posted her fourth shutout of the season in a 12-0 win over North Carolina March 4. Her four shutouts are tied for eighth in NCAA Division I.
- The gem of Parshall's season is her perfect game against FIU Feb. 18. The perfect game was the fifth in program history and second to be a seven-inning perfect game. Parshall's perfect effort is the first for Penn State since Missy Beseres blanked St. Francis (Pa.) in five innings on March 30, 2005.
- This was also the 14th no-hitter in Penn State history and first since Ashley Esparza shutdown Illinois in a 13-0 win in five innings on April 5, 2008.
KURLAND KILLIN' IT
- Senior Ally Kurland has been on fire of late. At the Carolina Classic, the catcher/designated player hit .438 with five runs scored, nine RBI and a 1.188 slugging percentage thanks to three doubles and three home runs.
- Kuland leads the team with a .778 slugging percentage via nine doubles and six home runs, all of which are career-best marks.
- On March 4, Kurland rocked a grand slam in the seventh inning as part of a 12-0 victory over North Carolina. She is the first Nittany Lion to hit a grand slam since Toni Polk against Purdue on April 5, 2019.
- Kurland also had a career-high six RBI off of her two-run double and grand slam against the Tar Heels. Her six RBI are tied for the third-most in program history and the most by a Penn State player since Alyssa VanDerveer had a school-record seven RBI against Fordham on February 27, 2016.
- Kurland is the first Penn State player with five or more RBI in a game since Rebecca Ziegler have five RBI against Virginia Tech on February 19, 2017.
LINDMARK AND LEONE LEAD THE WAY
- The duo of juniors Cassie Lindmark and Michelle Leone have sparked the Nittany Lions offensively early in the 2022 season.
- After transferring to Happy Valley from Kentucky, Lindmark has seen early success in a Penn State uniform. The catcher from Lyons, Illinois is batting .383 on the season with a team-leading 23 hits and a .533 slugging percentage from the leadoff spot.
- After having a combined .193 batting average through her first two years at Penn State, Leone is starting to become a powerhouse at the plate. The junior has been hitting .333 this season through 54 at-bats.
ERROR FREE SOFTBALL
- Coach Crowell emphasizes defense with her Nittany Lions and her players have responded to that message.
- Penn State has a 97.9% fielding percentage in 2022, which is the second-best mark in the Big Ten and 20th in the country.
- Twelve Nittany Lions have a perfect 100% fielding percentage.
BLACK'S BIG BAT
- Junior Lexie Black has found her home run swing in 2022.
- Black cracked her fourth home run of the season in the first inning of the UNC Greensboro game on March 6.
- Black is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak. During the streak, she has a team-leading .458 batting average with four home runs and two doubles.
- In Penn State's doubleheader against Kennesaw State, Black hit three run-home runs in back-to-back games. Black's long ball in the first game was the difference, giving the Nittany Lions the 5-2 lead in the third inning, which they were able to hold on to for the win.
PENN STATE DEBUTS
- Junior transfer Cassie Lindmark and freshman outfielder Lydia Coleman both made their Penn State debuts as starters vs. Mizzou in the opener.
- Sophomore Amanda Mack made her first career start as the designated player also against Missouri.
- Freshman Maddie Gordon collegiate debuted as a pinch runner against Eastern Kentucky. She made her pitching debut against No. 12 Oregon.
- Freshman pitcher Lydia Spalding made her collegiate debut in the circle against Buffalo, throwing 1.1 innings with her first career strikeout.
ON DECK
- The Nittany Lions close out their five-week early season road trip at in-state foe Pitt Wednesday at 5 p.m. on ACC Network.
- Penn State finally returns to the friendly confines of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field for the Penn State Invitational March 18-20. The Nittany Lions host UMass Lowell, Rider and Cornell in a weekend packed with 10 games.