COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The Penn State softball team entered the finale at Maryland on Sunday, April 27, with two wins after scoring double digits in both of the first two games in the three-game Big Ten series.
Playing at the College Park UMD Softball Complex, the Nittany Lions scored 24 runs in those games on 22 hits on the way to wins of 10-2 on Friday, April 25 and 14-12 on Saturday, April 26.
On Sunday, April 27, in Game 3, Penn State was not about to let up.
The Lions scored seven runs in the first inning, hit three home runs and rallied their way to a three-game sweep of the Terrapins with a 12-8 victory.
Maddie Gordon hit a three-run home run in the first inning, Haylie Brunson knocked in two with a homer in the third and Michela Barbanente finished it with a three-run shot over the left field fence in the top of the sixth.
The Terps tried to keep pace and had drawn to within 9-6 after five innings, but Barbanente connected with Natalie Lieto and Maddie Gordon on base and sent the Lions to their 23rd win of the season.
It wasn’t the best outing for the Maryland pitching staff. Penn State, despite the three home runs, scored its 12 earned runs on just four hits — two by Brunson and one each by Gordon and Barbanente. The rest came via the 16 walks issued by the three Maryland pitchers.
For Penn State, Lydia Spalding took the win to go 4-1 for the season, and Mady Volpe got her first save.
The series began on Friday, April 25, with Penn State taking a six-inning, 10-2 win after scoring eight runs in the last three innings.
Penn State opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning on a home run by Meagan Ricks and an RBI single by Lieto.
In the fifth inning, Brunson hit a two-run home run, Lieto got an RBI groundout and Barbanente hit an RBI double.
And in the sixth, Ricks and Brooke Klosowicz scored unearned runs and Klosowicz hit an RBI double.
The Lions collected nine hits altogether, while Volpe took the win on the mound with an inning of help from Abigail Britton.
With the series outcome still on the line, these two teams matched up in a classic on Saturday, April 26.
After almost four hours of game time, 28 hits and 26 runs, Penn State was able to hold on for an exciting 14-12 victory.
After just three innings, the score was Maryland 9, Penn State 8, but the Lions were able to go on to score three runs in the fifth and three more in the top of the seventh to take the win.
It was not easy, though. The Terps kept pace with a run in the fifth, and then they closed to within two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-run homer by Sam Bean.
Winning pitcher Volpe, however, was able to get the final outs as the Lions took win No. 23.
Penn State will now return home for the final Big Ten series of the season, which will be against Washington on Friday, May 2, Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 at Medlar Field.
The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 7, in Indiana.
