*SCHEDULE UPDATE*
With impending inclement weather on Sunday, Rutgers and Penn State will complete the series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. There will be no game on Sunday, and the scheduled Big Ten Network coverage has been canceled.
 
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (April 12, 2019) – Rutgers softball (18-19, 2-8) used the long ball to produce a 6-1 victory over Penn State (20-22, 4-8) on Friday afternoon at the Nittany Lions Softball Park and Beard Field.
 
QUICK PITCH

• Freshman catcher Katie Wingert, junior first baseman Nicole Bowman and junior right fielder Anyssa Iliopoulos hit home runs, accounting for five of Rutgers' six runs. The power surge was plenty of support for freshman starter Corah Price, who won her ninth game of the season with one earned run and three hits allowed in 4-plus innings. Senior pitcher Whitney Jones had a scoreless 2.1 innings in relief.

"Very proud of our pitchers," said head coach Kristen Butler. "Corah gave us a great start and Whit closed it out. They gave us a great chance to win. Proud of our hitters doing a great job swinging in hitter's counts and having smart pitch selection. It was a great start to a conference weekend and it's important to carry momentum into a Saturday doubleheader."
 
STANDOUT STATS

• Wingert batted 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and three RBIs.
• Iliopoulos was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored.
• Bowman added a solo homer during a 1-for-4 day.
• Price allowed a single run on a solo homer, one of three hits allowed to go with a walk and three strikeouts. Jones surrendered a hit and a walk without allowing a run over the final seven outs.

THE RUNDOWN

• Wingert didn't waste any time hitting in the three-hole in the top of the first, smashing a ball off the wall and doubling home senior shortstop Jess Hughes, who walked and stole second to lead off the game.
• Wingert's next time up in the third, she cleared the wall. The rookie's 11^th home run of the season again scored Hughes after she was hit by a pitch. Rutgers took a 3-1 lead on the round-tripper.
• Bowman immediately followed with her fourth home run of the year, a laser beam solo shot to right-center for the 4-1 advantage.

• T3 | Wingert & Bowman go back-to-back (and belly-to-belly) with big flys!
  
  RU 4, PSU 1 pic.twitter.com/ODRIDUOJ5g

  — Rutgers Softball (@RUSoftball) April 12, 2019

  
  
• Rutgers' defense helped hold the lead in the home half of the third. Sophomore third baseman Myah Moy, starting her first game at third base since March 15, laid out with full extension for a forward diving catch in foul territory to lead off the frame. Shortly after with a runner on first, senior center fielder Nicolette Anico made a catch right at the wall and fired in for the 8-4-3 double play.

• FULL EXTENSION!
  
  Rutgers Softball's Myah Moy lays out in foul territory for an incredible diving grab!
  
  Rutgers hangs on to a 4-1 lead over Penn State in the bottom of the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/bothssUzuI

  — Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) April 12, 2019

  
  
• The Scarlet Knights built a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth as Iliopoulos led off with a single and came around to score during a Penn State error.
• Iliopoulos added insurance in the sixth with a two-out, solo home run to set the eventual final score at 6-1.
• Moy started a 5-4-3 double play with freshman second baseman Aleah Marra to erase a leadoff hit by pitch in the bottom of the sixth, and Jones worked a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers hitters smashed back-to-back home runs for the second time this season, and Wingert has been involved both times. Iliopoulos and Wingert had back-to-back jacks on March 9 in a win against Evansville.
• Rutgers had a three-homer game for the third time this season (four against Jacksonville State and five against Army), and is 3-0 in those games.
• RU improves to 9-1 when hitting at least two home runs in a game.
• The Scarlet Knights scored in the first inning for the 16^th time this season, and 11^th time in the last 21 games. RU is 11-5 when scoring in the first.
• Wingert's 11 home runs are the most in a single season by a Rutgers rookie since 2003 (when tracking began).
• Hughes extended her reached-base safely streak to 10 straight games, her second streak of at least 10 games this season.
• Penn State's lead in the all-time series falls to 31-24 overall and 9-4 as Big Ten opponents as Rutgers has won four out of the last five games.

UP NEXT
The series continues with Game 2 on Saturday, April 13 at 5 p.m., immediately followed by Game 3 as part of a twinbill. There will be no game on Sunday, and the planned Big Ten Network coverage has been canceled.
 
 
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