Penn State softball (22-6) defeated Indiana (22-8) 8-3 on Saturday in a windy game at Beard Field.

A strong performance for the Nittany Lions, comprised of consistent hitting and dominant pitching, was enough to give Penn State the win in the game and series. 

How It Happened

After a groundout to begin the game, the next Indiana batter reached on a walk from Penn State pitcher Mady Volpe. A long home run down the left field line by Avery Parker gave the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead soon thereafter.

The Nittany Lions quickly regrouped, as first baseman Gianna Poletti fielded a nice scoop from the shortstop to end the top half of the frame. 

Penn State came out swinging in the bottom half of the first inning with designated hitter Kaitlyn Morrison lining a double into the right-field gap. A sacrifice bunt moved her over to third, scoring later on an RBI single by Maddie Gordon.

The next batter, Haley Brunson, hit a first-pitch home run over the right-center field wall, giving the Nittany Lions a 3-2 lead. The momentum continued to build for Penn State as Liana Jones notched a single past the Indiana middle infielders. Michela Barbanente drew a four-pitch walk, prompting a pitching change for the Hoosiers, and Brianna Copeland came into the game to replace Sophie Kleiman. A flyout to center put an end to the inning. 

The second inning began with Volpe’s second walk of the game. An attempted sacrifice bunt resulted in an error, allowing Cassidy Kettleman to reach and the lead runner to advance. Kettleman stole second on the next pitch without a throw. Volpe walked the next batter, loading the bases for Indiana.

Looking to get out of a no-out jam, she was replaced on the mound by Bridget Nemeth. Following the pitching change, a heads-up play by third baseman Emily Maddock secured the force-out at home and prevented a run from scoring on a hard-hit ground ball. Nemeth struck out the next batter, and a ground out on the following at-bat got the Nittany Lions out of the inning unscathed. 

Penn State had a slow bottom half of the second, going three-up, three-down on two strikeouts and a lineout to third. Indiana followed suit in the top of the third, recording three flyouts. 

The bottom of the third inning began with a walk from Gaby Garcia, but she remained on first base as the Hoosiers retired the next three batters in order. 

In the top of the fourth, an error allowed Kettleman to reach, beating out the bobbled throw by a step. The Penn State infield made up for its mistake on the next at-bat as shortstop Jiselle Hernandez made a nice play on a short-hop to narrowly get Kettleman out at second. A flyout to centerfield ended the Indiana half of the frame as the Hoosiers had still yet to get a hit since Nemeth entered the game. Penn State was unable to get on base in the bottom of the inning. 

Indiana finally found its hitting game again in the top of the fifth as Copeland snuck a single down the first base line. A fielder’s choice allowed Taylor Minnick to reach, and a single by Parker moved her to third. Thanks to a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch by Barbanente in left field, the Hoosiers were unable to capitalize on their base runners, and the score remained 3-2. 

Morrison earned a walk to begin the bottom of the fifth as a bloop single to the edge of the infield by Maddock moved her to second. Two batters later, Gordon launched a three-run shot over the Indiana flag in center field, extending Penn State’s lead to 6-2. The hits continued to rain down for the Nittany Lions as Jones ripped a double off of the right field wall. The Indiana manager came to take the ball from Copeland, and Heather Johnson entered the game for the Hoosiers. Barbanente grounded out to end the frame.

Sarah Stone led off the top of the sixth for Indiana, but it was unable to capitalize, as Nemeth ended another strong inning on a called strike three. 

In the bottom of the inning, Morrison lined a triple down the first base line as Maddock drove her in with a double on the next pitch. The Nittany Lions extended their 7-2 lead courtesy of an RBI double by Garcia, driving in the eighth run of the afternoon for Penn State. A lineout to right ended the inning as the Nittany Lions moved to the seventh inning just three outs away from a win. 

A high infield pop-up was taken by the wind, but Hernandez made the difficult play for the first out. Copeland reached on an infield single, but a fielder’s choice on the next at-bat put Penn State one out away from victory. The Hoosiers weren’t finished yet as a single by Parker put runners on the corners. A fielding miscue allowed Indiana to score, but a nice play got the runner out at third on the same play to end the game. Penn State defeated Indiana by a final score of 8-3.

Takeaways

• A strong performance on the mound by Penn State’s Bridget Nemeth was the difference in this game. After replacing Mady Volpe in the second inning, she delivered five solid innings of pitching and closed out the game for the Nittany Lions.
• The top of the order was dominant for Penn State with multiple hits and runs scored from Kaitlyn Morrison and Maddie Gordon.
• Despite some fielding errors for the Nittany Lions, the Penn State defense came up with key plays when it needed them most. A strong showing in the field for Barbanete, Hernandez, and Maddock highlighted the afternoon.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return to Beard Field tomorrow at noon in search of a series sweep against the Indiana Hoosiers.