Pitt softball rallies in eighth inning to earn walk-off win over Penn State

PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh softball team rallied for six runs in the final inning to defeat Penn State 8-7 on a walk-off Tuesday night at Vartabedian Field. The Panthers trailed 7-2entering the bottom of the seventh inning before completing the comeback victory.

The win represents Pitt’s first home victory against the Nittany Lions in nine years. The program’s last home win in the series occurred on March 29, 2017, in a seven-one decision.

Camryn Murphy began the seventh-inning rally with a leadoff solo home run on a one-0 pitch. Mackenzie Reese followed with a double and Addison Toczek drew a pinch-hit walk. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch before Tieley Vaughn hit an RBI single to score Reese. During the play, Toczek scored during a rundown to bring the score to seven-five. Vaughn was initially ruled out at second base, but the call was overturned on obstruction to keep the inning alive.

Alena Ball hit an RBI single to score Vaughn and bring the Panthers within one run. Wexford native Calle Henne tied the game at 7-7 with a single off the left-center wall. Henne finished the night four-for-four at the plate with three RBIs. Gracie Helton secured the victory with a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing pinch runner Payton Harris to score the game-winning run.

Penn State took an early lead with two runs in the first inning and added single runs in the fourth and sixth. Jordan George extended the lead to seven-two with a three-run home run in the top of the seventh. Nittany Lions pitcher Bridget Nemeth held Pitt to four hits and two earned runs through 6.1 innings while recording six strikeouts. Penn State used three different pitchers during the seventh inning as Pitt mounted its rally.

Earlier in the game, Henne provided offense for the Panthers with a two-run home run in the sixth inning. On the mound, Kyra Pittman contributed a scoreless second inning to settle the defense after the early Penn State lead.

Pitt returns to Vartabedian Field for a three-game series against Syracuse. The series is scheduled to run from Thursday through Saturday.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW