OKLAHOMA CITY — The Penn State softball team began its Big Ten Conference season with two losses to Northwestern in Oklahoma City on Thursday. March 13 and Friday, March 14 and then a close 8-7 loss to Minnesota in Game Two on Friday night.
Playing at what’s called the Softball Capital of the World in Devon Park, the Lions fell 13-7 in the first game to Northwestern and then 10-2 on Friday. That was followed by the loss to the Gophers as the tournament continued on Friday night.
But there was still more softball to play at Devon Park, and Penn State roared back from those losses with a redeeming 5-1 win over Minnesota on Sunday, March 16.
Down 1-0 and still smarting from their first three BIG losses, the Nittany Lions struck four runs in the bottom of the third inning and then rode the four-hit, one-run pitching of Mady Volpe, Jiselle Hernandez and Abigail Britton to a much needed 5-1 victory over Minnesota.
After the Gophers took a 1-0 lead on a home run in the top of the first inning, Penn State’s Kaylie Walters opened the third inning with a double down the line and she immediately scored on a Meagan Ricks single and a Minnesota error to tie the game.
Haylie Brunson followed with an RBI single up the middle that scored Ricks, and then Brooke Klosowicz slammed a two-run home run that gave her team a 4-1 lead.
Two innings later, with the score still at 4-1, Brunson led off with a home run that extended the Nittany Lions’ lead to 5-1.
From there, it was up to the PSU pitchers, and Britton entered the game in the fifth and threw three no-hit innings to earn the save. Britton walked one and struck out four as Penn State took its 13th win of the season and first in the conference.
Ricks, Brunson and Klosowicz each had two hits in the game, and Brunson and Klosowicz both had two RBIs.
The win avenged the close, 8-7 loss to the Gophers in Game Two on Saturday night.
Penn State had tied the game, 7-7, on a sacrifice fly by Klosowicz in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Gophers pushed across a run in the top of the seventh to take the victory.
Both teams had eight hits in the game with Ricks leading the way for the Lions with two hits that included a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. Klosowicz also had a hit and two RBIs.
Penn State will now continue its Big Ten schedule with a weekend three-game series in Bloomington against Indiana on From Friday, March 21, through Sunday, March 23.
