Penn State softball (25-26, 11-12 Big Ten) was silenced by Washington (34-16, 12-9 Big Ten) 8-0 at home on Sunday afternoon.

After dropping a nine-inning showdown on Friday, the Nittany Lions responded with a win on Saturday afternoon but fell short in securing the final regular-season series with a shutout loss in Sunday’s finale.

Game One

After a quiet first three frames, Washington drew first blood in the top of the fourth inning after Alycia Flores slapped a double down the third baseline. She was moved to third by a fielder’s choice grounder and then scored thanks to a passed ball. Then, Sophi Mazzola smacked a two-run home run over the right center field fence to give Washington a 3-0 lead.

Maddie Gordon quickly responded with a solo home run at the bottom of the same frame, cutting into the 3-1 deficit.

Penn State inched closer in the bottom of the fifth after Madison Seidel and Gianna Poletti notched back-to-back singles. Gordon delivered at the plate once again, dropping a base hit into left field that scored Seidel to make it a 3-2 game.

Washington added insurance in the seventh on an RBI double from Jadyn Glab and an unearned run from a Penn State fielding error, extending the lead to 5–2. But with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Nittany Lions roared back. A pair of singles from Kaylie Walters and Gordon set the stage for Brooke Klosowicz, who smashed a game-tying three-run homer to center, knotting the score at 5-5.

Washington broke the tie in the ninth as Jade Bubke walked, stole second, and later scored on a bases-loaded walk. Giselle Alvarez followed that up with a two-run single, and RBI hits from Charity Sevaaetasi and Mazzola wrapped up a four-run outburst that secured the Huskies’ 9–5 win.

Game Two

Washington jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first frame thanks to a pair of doubles from Alexis DeBoer and Alycia Flores.

Penn State capitalized on an error-plagued inning from the Huskies’ defense. Meagan Ricks drew a lead-off walk with Gordon joining her on base after being hit by a pitch. Brunson cranked a single through the shortstop and then moved to second after a throwing error from the left fielder, scoring Ricks and moving Gordon to third.

Natalie Lieto was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Michaela Barbanente, who smacked a single to score Gordon. Seidel put the ball in play, allowing Brunson to make it home safely. With bases loaded, the Huskies gifted another two runs to Penn State in the form of a walk and a hit-by-pitch, making it a 5-2 ball game after just one inning.

Washington trimmed into Penn State’s early lead in the second after back-to-back errors put Tia Durst and Jade Bubke aboard. A walk to Jadyn Glab loaded the bases, and Ava Carroll delivered a single to right to bring in Durst and make it 5-3.

Walters sparked more offense for Penn State with a leadoff single from a well-placed bunt. Poletti sent her around the bases with a deep double that reached the warning track, pushing the lead to 6-3.

The Huskies kept it close as Flores reached on a Penn State error and was then plated by a Gissele Alvarez single to make it a 6-4 ball game.

Penn State added some cushion after Poletti reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to second on a passed ball, and then made it home due to a double from Ricks.

Alvarez attempted to ignite a rally for Washington with a solo homer in the top of the seventh, but the Huskies couldn’t generate any additional offense, giving Penn State a 7-5 victory.

Game Three

After a slow first inning, Sevaaetasi singled to begin the second frame for the Huskies. Bubke followed that up with a walk to put two runners on for Riley Peschek who smacked a three-run homer to dead center field to put Washington up 3-0 early on.

The Penn State offense continued to sputter, sending the Huskies back to the plate where DeBoer knocked a solo shot out of the park to extend the 4-0 lead.

DeBoer returned the plate in the top of the fourth, where she went back-to-back with another solo home run, this time with two outs on the board.

Now trailing 5-0, Penn State went three up, three down at the plate.

Washington put the game out of reach in the fifth, starting with consecutive doubles from Alvarez and Bubke to extend the lead to 6-0. A walk and a fielder’s choice put runners on second and third for Glab, who cranked a double to left center, plating Peschek and Bubke.

With Penn State, once again, failing to put a runner on base in the bottom of the fifth, the Huskies led 8-0, prompting the run rule to end the ballgame early.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s offense sputtered in both of its losses this weekend. Across the weekend’s three outings, they went just 22-79 at the plate. Surprisingly, Penn State had only 8 hits in its lone win of the series.
• For the most part, the pitching rotation for the Blue and White lacked control of the Huskies’ lineup. Maddy Volpe recorded five strikeouts in the nine-inning showdown on Friday, but in the other two ballgames, Penn State pitchers collectively recorded just three K’s.
• Kaylie Walters was the only Nittany Lion to register a hit in every outing against the Huskies. Over the weekend, she amassed four hits and one RBI.

What’s Next?

Penn State will begin Big Ten tournament play in West Lafayette, Ind., on Wednesday, May 7. The time of the game is TBA.