Penn State softball (30-9, Big Ten 9-3) battled Michigan State (15-25, Big Ten 2-11) in a three-game series, in which the Nittany Lions came out with another Big Ten series win.

The weekend was led by the second grand slam of the season by Kaitlyn Morrison and head coach Clarisa Crowell’s 100th win at Penn State. Additionally, the Nittany Lions earned their third straight season with 30 wins.

How It Happened

Game One

Penn State started the weekend with a dominant 10-0 win.

The Nittany Lions came out in the first inning scoring four runs. This was highlighted by singles from Gaby Garcia and Gianna Poletti to get on the board.

The offensive strength continued in the second when Haylie Brunson drew a walk. Liana Jones capitalized on the runner by hammering a two-run home run to up the score 6-0.

A final push for Penn State came in the third when Bridget Nemeth, Jiselle Hernandez, and Poletti got on to load the bases. WIth that, Kaitlyn Morrison blasted a grand slam with two strikes to make the score 10-0.

The defense was able to hold off the Spartans and finish the win 10-0 in five innings.

Game Two

In another offensive clinic, Penn State won the second game of the series 6-3.

After the Spartans started the first with two runs, the Nittany Lions answered when Maddie Gordon walked to put a runner on. Despite two pop-outs, Garcia hit a home run to left field to even the score 2-2. Gordon kept the home runs coming in the third with a solo shot to give Penn State the lead 3-2.

Emily Maddock and Audree Mendoza got the bats going in the fourth to get on, and a groundout advanced them to second and third. A pinch hit from Klosowicz with two outs brought Maddock and Mendoza home to make the score 5-2.

Penn State scored once more in the fifth when Morrison roped a double to left field and got to third on a throwing error. Brunson then stepped up and delivered a sacrifice fly to score Morrison.

In the circle, Mady Volpe earned the 6-3 win with five strikeouts.

Game Three

The final game of the series ended in a loss for Penn State 6-2.

Paige Maynard earned the start on the mound for the Nittany Lions. The Spartans came out swinging in the first and had an early 1-0 lead.

Michigan State continued its offensive stride in the second scoring three more, but a pitching change to Mady Volpe and an infield double play with bases loaded kept Penn State from getting in a hole.

No runs were scored in the third, but Jones came up big for Penn State in the fourth with a two-run home run to cut the Spartan’s lead in half to 4-2.

Michigan State added two more runs in the fifth to extend its lead 6-2 and Nemeth entered the circle to close out the game for Penn State.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions’ offense could not bounce back and suffered the 6-2 loss.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will face Ohio State for a midweek doubleheader at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in Columbus, Ohio.