Rutgers softball heads to Penn State for weekend series against Nittany Lions
The Rutgers softball team will be back on the road for the second weekend in a row. The Scarlet Knights (30-14, 7-4) will travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, this weekend to compete against Penn State.
Rutgers is currently having its best season since 2013, with a 30-win record. The Knights hope to improve upon this in another Big Ten matchup this weekend.
Rutgers won 1 of 3 games during its three-game series last weekend against Ohio State. The Buckeyes (23-13, 5-5) were able to grab close wins against the Knights and ultimately won the series.
Senior infielder Payton Lincavage totaled 4 home runs during the series for Rutgers. Lincavage had at least 1 home run during each game, with 2 home runs during the Knights' opening win. She also led the team with a total of eight runs batted in (RBI) last weekend.
Junior pitcher and center fielder Morgan Smith was seen inside the circle in 2 out of the 3 games of the series. Smith concluded the weekend with seven strikeouts, and she pitched for five innings during a 3-2 loss.
Rutgers still put up a fight despite Ohio State having the advantage of winning the series. This minor setback might have provided the team with the boost they needed to prepare for its forthcoming series.
The Nittany Lions (20-12, 2-8) were swept by Northwestern last week during their weekend series in Evanston, Illinois.
Penn State had multiple home runs during its series against the Wildcats (24-9, 9-1). Despite losing 24-6 during the second game of the series, all of its runs scored came from home runs. Within the series, the Nittany Lions had a total of 7 home runs.
Penn State currently has a team batting average of .269. Lexie Black leads the team with a .330 average through all 32 games started, along with 32 hits and 23 RBIs this season.
Followed closely behind is Kaitlyn Morrison, batting for a .351 average with 34 hits and a team-leading 24 RBIs total.
The Nittany Lions saw several different pitchers inside the circle last weekend during their loss to Northwestern and will trot out a similar spread to the mound once again against the Knights.
Penn State's Bailey Parshall currently holds a 1.87 earned run average (ERA) and a .75 walks and hits through innings pitched rate (WHIP). The pitcher has struck out 125 batters this season through 115.1 innings pitched. Behind Parshall is Kylee Lingenfelter, with a 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 74 strikeouts through 67.1 innings.
Rutgers met with the Nittany Lions last season for a home series and were only able to pick up one win during the three games.
With the Knights having their best season in a decade, the team will hope for victories against Penn State to add to its record. Rutgers has several key hitters and pitchers that can help with defeating the Nittany Lions this weekend.
The first pitch of the weekend series will be thrown at 5 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, the Knights will meet with Penn State again at 2 p.m., followed by another 2 p.m. game on Sunday. Friday and Saturday’s games will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network+, with Sunday’s game being broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.
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