PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers softball took a 3-0 lead after Katie Wingert launched her first home run of the season in the first, but visiting Penn State came back for the 4-3 win on Friday at the Rutgers Softball Complex in the opening game of the weekend series.
 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Katie Wingert was 1-for-2 with a three-run home run, her first of the 2022 campaign and the 23rd of her career. The dinger moved the redshirt junior catcher into a tie for fifth on the Rutgers career home run leaders list along with Sierra Maddox (2015-18). Wingert needs three more to move into a tie for fourth alongside former teammate Anyssa Ilioupoulos (2017-21).
• Graduate student Gabrielle Callaway was 2-for-3 with a run scored, while freshman Maddie Lawson and sophomore Kyleigh Sand were each 1-for-3. Lawson posted her 10th double of the season, while Sand upped her on-base streak to 29 games.
• Jaden Vickers, who entered the circle in the sixth, was credited with the loss dropping to 14-9 overall giving up a pair of runs in the sixth. Ashley Hitchcock started the game and later returned during the sixth inning and totaled six strikeouts.

THE RUNDOWN

• Rutgers went up 3-0 at the end of the first inning of play due to Katie Wingert's home run. Payton Lincavage and Gabrielle Callaway both reached base on singles to shallow center field allowing Wingert to crush a 2-2 pitch with two outs into center field.
• Through the first fiving innings, the Scarlet Knights did not allow a Nittany Lions past second base and only gave up two hits, while Ashley Hitchcock tossed five strikeouts along the way.
• In the top of the six, Lauren Marcotte led off with a single to left and Penn State proceeded to add base runners off two walks and two hit batters allowing the visitors to get on the scoreboard. Trailing 4-2 with the bases loaded, Ally Kurland delivered a two-run single through the right side for the Nittany Lions to take the lead.

UP NEXT

The Rutgers softball team returns to action on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Letterwinner's Day and wraps up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission to all games is free.

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