Penn State softball hosted the West Liberty Hilltoppers for a fall ball exhibition game at Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park on Thursday.

The highlight of the exhibition came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Sydney English swung and hit a three-run homer over the center field wall to give the Nittany Lions a 6-1 lead.

How It Happened

Abigail Britton, a junior from LaVale, Maryland, started at pitcher for the Nittany Lions, and Lily Duffel, a freshman from Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, started behind home plate. 

Isabelle McKee led off with a 200-foot home run to far left field, giving West Liberty a 1-0 lead early. Right after, Kadence Pettit hit a single and reached base for the Hilltoppers before the top of the first ended.

Pettit started for the Hilltoppers, with sophomore Jillian Morr behind home plate. 

Maddie Henry got on base for the Nittany Lions after Pettit threw four balls. Gabby Gradishar hit after Henry and hit a ground ball to first, where the Hilltoppers’ defense made a double play to get both Gradishar and Henry out and preserve their 1-0 lead. 

The first two Hilltoppers struck out swinging to open the second inning. Alayna Cook was next on base for West Liberty after a dropped ball by Duffel let her run to first.

Macy Chamberlin started for Penn State and was out at first base after her ball went right to the third baseman. Sydney English and Duffel were both out on the next two plays.

Penn State opted to switch Britton out with star pitcher Bridget Nemeth to start the fourth inning.

Pettit, Ashlyn Tapman, and Annaliese Davis led off for the Hilltoppers, but all three struck out.

Chamberlin was next for the Nittany Lions and threw a line drive straight to Pettit; however, an error by Pettit put Chamberlin on base. She stole second while English was at bat.

English threw another ball straight to Pettit, and Pettit connected with her defense to get English out at first.

All three of West Liberty’s batters in the fifth inning struck out at home plate, except Ashleigh Heiderscheit, who was called out at first base.

Karwowski led off for the Nittany Lions and doubled. Henry hit a ground ball to right center field, drew a run from first, and drove Gehrke home to make it 3-1. 

English connected on a double over the wall to hit a triple homer, giving the Nittany Lions a 6-1 lead with two outs.

The Hilltoppers decided to change pitchers and put Davis on the mound. 

Davis first faced Flesher, who hit an infield fly to the right-field 200-foot wall, allowing Lieto and Duffel to reach home plate and give the Nittany Lions an 8-1 lead to end the fifth inning.

The last five innings were situational, with a different situation each inning. The Nittany Lions proved that they can score in tough situations and hit when necessary.

Players To Note

Pitcher Abigail Britton: Britton spent most of the time on the mound during the five innings of regular softball. She got good looks and threw more strikes than balls, proving she can be a strong defensive leader.

Pitcher Bridget Nemeth: Nemeth, ranked among the nation’s top 25 pitchers by Softball America in March, looked spectacular on the mound and continued Britton’s defensive strategy, throwing straight strikes with only a few balls.

Catcher Sydney English: English looked strong offensively, consistently connecting with the ball at crucial moments. Her highlight was a triple homer over the wall that gave the Nittany Lions a 6-1 lead in the fifth inning. She was also strong behind the plate and made minimal errors.

General Notes

• The Nittany Lions need to work on their defense and make sure balls aren’t slipping through their gloves.
• The Nittany Lions looked strong offensively, especially on the basepaths.
• The Nittany Lions set a home run record with 74 in the 2026 season, and they will want to break it again in 2027.
• Penn State opened the 2026 season 5-0, marking the program’s best start since pre-2000.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday, October 17 at 4:30 p.m. to face Army in an exhibition game for Little League Girls with Game Experience at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 

The Nittany Lions will close out their fall ball series on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. as they host Virginia for a ten-inning exhibition game.