CLEARWATER, Fla. - Freshman catcher Laurel McKelvey walked off in the seventh to end game one against Penn State and sophomore pitcher Tabitha Dyer threw her third straight complete game against St. John's to lead the University of Pennsylvania softball team (5-4) to a perfect day in Clearwater. After going scoreless through six, the Quakers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Nittany Lions, 2-1. Penn then went on to take down the Red Storm, 4-2, behind another complete game from Dyer.
Notes
* For a second time this season, the Quakers recorded a win while tallying just three hits, defeating Penn State. Penn defeated Central Michigan, 1-0, on Tuesday with three hits which was the first time it had won with no more than three hits since 2008.
* The Red and Blue's win over Penn State on Wednesday was the first time that the two teams had faced in program history. Penn's win over the Big-10 Nittany Lions marks its second win in program history over a Power-5 program. The Quakers defeated Syracuse of the ACC in 2015.
* Tabitha Dyer has gone 21 straight innings without allowing an earned run. The sophomore lefty and Ivy League Pitcher of the Week has thrown three-straight complete games in what has been a 3-0 start to her season.
* While Dyer has led the pitching staff, Jennifer Brann has also had a solid start to her season. The junior threw her second complete game this season, both of which have been victories. She has a 3.09 ERA with a team-best 14 strikeouts.
* Sarah Cwiertnia went 5-for-7 at the plate on Wednesday. She was one of two batters to record a hit against Penn State and was one of three Quakers to tally multiple hits on the day.
* Julia Schneider brought in a team-leading three runs. The freshman has split time at first base to begin her career, and has taken advantage of her opportunities.
* Laurel McKelvey walked-off in the bottom of the seventh against the Nittany Lions to secure the win.
How it Happened
Tuesday's games were each defensive battles and Wednesday would be no different, at least to start. The Quakers started the day against cross-state rival Penn State in what would be a low-scoring affair and back-and-fourth pitching duel.
Both side traded hits in the first, but 24 of the next 25 batters were retired with the lone runner - Emma Nedley - reaching via error. Both pitcher continued to hit their spots as neither team recorded a walk until the seventh inning.
Making her third start of the season, Jennifer Brann led the way in the circle. The junior recorded a strikeout to end the second and added two more in the third and fourth innings. The Quakers and Nittany Lions went 1-2-3 in the third, fourth, and fifth as the teams headed into the sixth, 0-0.
Penn State finally ended the scoreless run the sixth. Melina Livingston doubled to left center for the first hit in five innings. Behind a Claire Swedberg sacrifice bunt, Livingston scored to put the Nittany Lions in the lead, 1-0.
The Quakers went three up, three down in the bottom of the frame and entered the seventh with one last shot to tie or take the lead.
As she did in the first inning, it was Sarah Cwiertnia who doubled to right field to spark a run for the Red and Blue. Lucy Yang then earned the first walk of the day while Kayla Ketring followed suit to load the bases.
Freshman Julia Schneider brought in the tying run, Clare Sebastianelli - who was running for Cwiertnia - with a sacrifice fly deep to left field.
With one out and a full-count, it was another freshman who came up clutch for the Quakers and played the role of hero. This time, it was Laurel McKelvey.
The freshman catcher hit a blooper between the second baseman and center fielder. The center fielder made a diving effort, but couldn't haul it in, bringing in Lucy Yang for the winning run.
Penn took its momentum from game one into game two, gaining the early lead. Sarah Ketring doubled to left center in the second inning and then came home with the help of her sister, Kayla, who tripled, to give Penn the, 1-0, advantage.
The Quakers extended their lead in the third as Julia Schneider doubled to left, bringing home Lucy Yang and Ashley Waco to make it 3-0.
While Penn got going early, St. John's would not go away easily. The Red Storm answered in the bottom of the third, scoring their first run of the day, and then added a second in the fourth to cut the Red and Blue lead to 3-2.
Tabitha Dyer got the start in the circle in game two for the Quakers. The sophomore lefty threw a complete game shutout in her previous outing and hadn't allowed an earned run in either of her starts this season.
The Ivy League Pitcher of the Week picked up where she left off.
Dyer struck out a batter swinging in the first inning to leave a runner stranded on third. She left another runner on third-base in the second inning, forcing a ground-out to retire the side.
Behind every good pitcher is a good outfield and the Red and Blue outfield remained stout against St. John's.
In the fourth inning with one out and runners on first and third, Sam Pederson and Sarah Ketring teamed up on back-to-back plays. Pederson fielded a ground-ball and threw out the runner at third trying to score as Ketring held strong at the plate. With St. John's trying to pull off the double-steal, Pederson cut off the throw to second and fired a laser back home to Ketring who caught the runner trying to score, retiring the side.
Holding their one-run lead, the Quakers extended it in the seventh. Cwiertnia sparked the run with a single down the right side. Yang then doubled to left center to bring home Brann - who was running for Cwiertnia - to put the Red and Blue up, 4-2.
Dyer recorded her fourth strikeout of the day in the bottom of the frame to put two outs on the board and then forced a ground-out two batters later to finish her third-straight complete game.
Up Next
The Quakers wrap up their spring break trip to Florida on Thursday against Western Michigan. The Broncos are 3-9 on the season and have been in Florida since last Friday. The two teams played each other twice last season with Western Michigan taking both meetings in extra innings.
