Penn State Softball Finishes 4-1 At THE Spring Games
Penn State softball (11-1) had another successful weekend at THE Spring Games in Lynchburg, Virginia, and went 4-1 in the showcase.
The Nittany Lions shattered the previous record of 7-0 for the best start in program history with the 2-0 win over Saint Francis. Alongside the monumental win, Penn State had a massive weekend both in the box and in the circle.
Game One
The opening game of the weekend resulted in a 2-0 victory over Saint Francis.
After a quiet first two innings, the tarps were pulled out and the game entered a rain delay in the top of the third inning. Saint Francis was put on pause with the bases loaded.
The rain eventually cleared, and Bridget Nemeth entered the circle and got the Nittany Lions out of the inning with zero runs scored.
Penn State got some offensive action going when Haylie Brunson scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning, and Brooke Klosowicz had an RBI bases-loaded walk in the sixth to make the score 2-0.
Saint Francis couldn’t score, and Penn State won 2-0 and made its 8-0 record the best start in program history.
Game Two
Penn State lost its first game of the season 9-1 against Liberty.
Liberty was first on the board after scoring five in the bottom of the first inning. Penn State answered with a run of its own thanks to an RBI from Maddie Gordon to make the score 5-1.
The Flames added four more runs to their score in the second, and Penn State was down 9-1. The Nittany Lions couldn’t get another run, and the mercy rule was put into place with the 9-1 loss.
Game Three
Day two opened with the first game against Morgan State and a 5-2 win for Penn State.
Morgan State began with two hits and a run in the first. The Nittany Lions were quiet in the bottom half of the inning, but Kaitlyn Morrison brought in the first run for Penn State with a home run in the second inning.
Penn State scored three more in the third inning to lead 5-1, and Morgan State scored once more in the sixth inning, but the Penn State defense held it down for the 5-2 win.
In the circle, Nemeth also registered 13 strikeouts.
Game Four
Penn State stomped Morgan State once again in a 7-0 victory.
Morrison led the offensive charge with another home run in the top of the second inning. Amanda Mack also smacked an RBI triple to get another run home.
Gordon stepped to the plate in the top of the third and registered a home run of her own, and the offense kept going in the fourth with a double from Liana Jones and an RBI single from Klosowicz. Penn State led 4-0 after four innings.
Freshman Audree Mendoza smacked a single up the middle and earned two more RBIs, and Penn State had one more run score in the top of the seventh inning.
Mady Volpe also finished the game with a one-hit shutout alongside 12 strikeouts.
Penn State ended the doubleheader with a 7-0 win.
Game Five
The final game of the weekend ended with Penn State beating Penn 12-5.
Penn started off the day with one run in the bottom of the first, but Penn State brought in three runs in the top of the second to go on top.
The Quakers added a pair of runs to tie it 3-3 in the third, but Brunson smashed a two-run home run to keep the Nittany Lions in the lead 5-3. The momentum kept going in the fourth as Penn State added two more and was up 7-3.
The back-and-forth battle continued as Penn plated two more runs in the fourth. Jiselle Hernandez and Jones kept the bats alive and added insurance runs to hold a 9-5 lead entering the last inning.
Three more runs came home in the seventh inning, and Penn State clinched the 12-5 win with 17 hits.
Player Of The Weekend
Bridget Nemeth | Pitcher
The freshman pitcher and former Big Ten Pitcher of the Week had another massive weekend in the circle. During the first game against Morgan State, Nemeth had 13 strikeouts with only 88 total pitches. She also only allowed one earned run.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will travel to Texas to take part in the Longhorn Invitational with opponents Hofstra, Tarleton, Northwestern State, and Texas slated on the schedule. Game one will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, against Hofstra.
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