Penn State softball (9-41, 5-18 Big Ten) closed out the season by upsetting two-time defending Big Ten Champion Minnesota (36-15, 17-4 Big Ten) on Friday before falling in the next two games against the Golden Gophers via mercy rule.

The Nittany Lions finished 13th of 14 teams in the Big Ten, missing the 12-team conference tournament. Penn State finished the season with the program worst’s record since softball became an NCAA sport.

How It Happened

Game One

Penn State ace Jessica Cummings and likely All-Big Ten honoree Amber Fiser went all out in a pitchers’ duel Friday night.

Minnesota broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth inning on a Maddie Houlihan single to right field.

Cummings’ otherwise gem of an outing would not go to waste as the Nittany Lions rallied in the seventh — tallying a run on a Christa Wagner RBI single after Toni Polk’s double moved runners into scoring position.

In extra innings, Penn State star slugger Tori Dubois blasted a solo home run and Cummings stranded two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth to snap Minnesota’s 14-game winning streak with a 2-1 win.

Game Two

Following the upset, the Golden Gophers came back with a vengeance Saturday afternoon to quickly disperse the Nittany Lions.

Minnesota scored 11 runs against Penn State in the first inning as starting pitcher Madison Shaffer was chased from the game after recording just a single out.

The Golden Gophers scored runs in the next three innings and 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year Kendyl Lindaman notched five RBIs to earn a 19-0 run-rule win after five innings.

Game Three

Another disastrous first inning did in the Nittany Lions as Minnesota scored five runs during a two-out rally.

Despite the poor start, starting pitcher Jessica Cummings picked up in the second inning where she left off in Friday’s upset performance — holding the Golden Gophers scoreless in the next four innings.

With Penn State’s offense dormant, recording just two hits on the day, Minnesota was able to close out the game in 8-0 run-rule fashion after six innings thanks to a Christa Wagner fielding error and a walk-off two-run home run from Maddie Houlihan.

Player of the Series

Tori Dubois | Left Field | Junior

Penn State’s best player these past two seasons came up clutch again with her ninth home run of 2018 to secure the Nittany Lions’ most impressive win of the year.

What’s Next

Penn State’s brutal 2018 season is finally over. The Nittany Lions lose three seniors — starting ace Jessica Cummings, relief pitcher Ashton Mensinger, and shortstop Gianna Arrizurieta. They do return eight starters and the team’s top seven hitters. According to FloSoftball, Penn State also pulled a top-15 recruiting class, which includes two desperately-needed pitchers.