Kent State Tuscarawas Edges Penn State Beaver in Early Lead, Penn State Falls 8–3
Kent State Tuscarawas jumped to an early lead on Sunday, scoring twice in the first inning and never looking back as they defeated Penn State Beaver 8–3. Despite a strong middle-inning response from the Nittany Lions, the visitors pulled away late to secure the win.
| BOT 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 4 |
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1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Monaca Pa- Kent State Tuscarawas jumped in front early on Sunday afternoon in Monaca, scoring twice in the top of the first. A run came home on an RBI single, and another scored on a passed ball to make it 2–0 before Penn State Beaver answered in the bottom half with a run on a groundout to cut the deficit to 2–1. The visitors kept the pressure on in the second, adding two more to extend the lead to 4–1, but Beaver responded right back in the bottom of the inning with a two-run frame—highlighted by an RBI double and an RBI single—to pull within 4–3 after two.
From there, the middle innings settled into a pitching-and-defense stretch. Neither side scored in the third, fourth, or fifth, and Penn State Beaver was held off the board the rest of the way as the visitors' pitching stabilized the game and protected the one-run edge. Beaver had limited chances to flip momentum, but couldn't string together enough baserunners to break through during that scoreless run.
Kent State Tuscarawas finally created separation late, pushing across a run in the sixth to make it 5–3, then breaking it open in the seventh with a solo home run and an additional run that came around on an error to close out an 8–3 final. For Penn State Beaver, Jaiden Patterson led the offense by going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two doubles, while Kierstyn Mays went 1-for-4 with two RBIs; in the circle, Mays took the loss after working 5.0 innings and Reza Benson finished the final 2.0. The result moved Penn State Beaver to 2–13 on the season.
The second game, scheduled for later in the day, was cancelled due to weather conditions. Penn State Beaver will look to continue building on their comeback performance as the season progresses.
The team will take the field again on March 26th at 3 & 5pm when they are home at home to take on Ohio Cristian University in a non-conference match-up. For all things Penn State Beaver Softball go to beaverathletics.com!
