After recording its first conference win of the season, Penn State faced Wisconsin in the rubber match on Sunday afternoon. Unlike the first two games of the series, game three was a pitching duel between a pair of right-handers, Abigail Britton and Shelby Jacobson.
The blue and white couldn’t preserve its one-run lead in the seventh and dropped its second straight Big Ten series in a close 7-4 loss to Wisconsin.
The Badgers went down quietly to start the game, but the Nittany Lions applied some early pressure on the basepaths. Second baseman Michela Barbanente drew a leadoff walk, yet she was caught stealing. However, right fielder Breanna Hanik successfully walked and stole second.
Jacobson didn’t crumble under pressure and retired the heart of the blue and white’s lineup to end the first scoreless. While Penn State couldn’t capitalize with a runner in scoring position, Wisconsin plated the first run of the game in the second.
Kendra Lewis knocked a single into right field and Emma King pinch ran and swiped second. A few batters later, Kaylie Whidden sneaked a two-out RBI single through the left side to give the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
While Jacobson cruised through the first few innings, Britton kept the blue and white in the game with another scoreless frame in the third. Penn State’s first hit didn’t come until later in the inning when Hanik sent a dribbler back up to Jacobson on the mound.
Third baseman Brooke Klosowicz had an opportunity to drive in runs with runners on first and second, but grounded out to end the inning. Wisconsin threatened in the fourth after Danielle Lucey sent a leadoff double to left, but Britton swiftly retired the next three Badgers.
Though the Nittany Lions still couldn’t break through in the bottom half of the fourth, Wisconsin added to its lead in the fifth. Jaclyn Showalter launched a solo shot to left center and put the Badgers up 2-0.
However, Penn State finally cracked Jacobson later in the frame and plated four runs. First baseman Gabby Gradishar drew a leadoff walk and then Bridget Nemeth was hit. Barbanente laid down a routine sacrifice bunt, but Showalter at first made a costly error and Gradishar scored.
Klosowicz has been raking on offense lately and that streak continued with a two-run triple to right. Cara Bohner plated Klosowicz from third off the second error of the inning by Showalter and Penn State was suddenly up 4-2 late.
The Badgers got a run back in the sixth. Alivia Bark walked and Kaylie Whidden scored her off a single into left center. After a scoreless bottom half, Nemeth looked to close out the win in the seventh, but the inning unraveled and Wisconsin scored four runs in its last breath.
Showalter led off with a walk and then Hannah Conger tapped a single back up to the pitcher’s mound. With some momentum, Emily Bojan smacked an RBI single into center field and Nemeth also now faced two runners in scoring position after an error by Macy Chamberlin at home.
The score was now knotted at four and coach Clarisa Crowell brought in left-hander Brevyn Kellepouris to stop the bleeding. However, the Badgers took the lead off a fielder’s choice to second. Bark then added on insurance runs with a two-run double to right and extended Wisconsin’s lead, 7-4.
While the blue and white put together a rally and had bases loaded with two outs, Jacobson held Penn State scoreless in the bottom half of the seventh and secured the series win for the Badgers. With the loss, the Nittany Lions fell to 20-11 on the season and 1-5 in Big Ten play.
Up Next
Penn State hits the road and faces Rutgers for a three-game series. The series opener is slated for 6 p.m. Friday.
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