PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Penn State notched runs in the first two and last two innings en route to a 4-1 series-opening win over Rutgers on Friday afternoon at the RU Softball Complex.

The loss dropped the Scarlet Knights to 31-21 overall and 12-9 in the Big Ten race for tournament seeding.

Penn State 4, Rutgers 1

• Payton Lincavage's single in the bottom of the seventh scored Morgan Smith for RU's lone run. Lincavage finished the game 2-for-3 with a double.
• Smith collected a double before coming home on Lincavage's base hit.
• Mattie Boyd registered eight strikeouts in the loss only giving up a pair of earned runs to drop to 18-8 on the year

• A pair of hits led the Nittany Lions to take a 1-0 lead in the first. Kaitlyn Morrison kicked the contest off with a single and made her way around the bases on a Liana Jones walk, Gaby Garcia bunt and Maddie Gordon single.
• Penn State made it 2-0 in the second as a miscue in the outfield allowed Gianni Poletti to reach base and score on Morrison's double to center.
• Gordon led off the sixth taking a 0-2 count over the wall in left field for a 3-0 Penn State advantage.
• An error on Morrison's bunt allowed the Nittany Lion to make her way to third base and score four batters later on a Gordon sac fly to center for her squad to go up 4-0. 
• Rutgers thwarted the shutout in the bottom of the seventh. Smith led off taking her first pitch into right field for a double and advanced to third on a fly out by Katie Wingert. Smith scored two batters later as Payton Lincavage hit the ball past the outstretched glove of the Nittany Lion shortstop. With two Scarlet Knights aboard, pinch hitter Bailey Briggs smacked the ball deep to left but Penn State made the catch at the warning track to stop RU from tying the game. Kayla Bock singled up the middle to load the bases, but the Nittany Lions would not allow another RU run to come across.

• Rutgers and Penn State will play a doubleheader on Saturday, May 4 at noon and 3 p.m. due to impending rain in the area on Sunday. The Rutgers seniors -  Kayla Bock, Mattie Boyd, Leilani Chavez, Megan Herka, Kobie Hura, Maddie Lawson, Payton Lincavage, Morgan Smith, Lauren Punk, Kyleigh Sand, Katie Wingert and manager Sam Rebolledo  - will be honored at the conclusion of the doubleheader.
• Admission to all games at the Rutgers Softball Complex is free. Fans can click here to register for parking.