UNIVERSITY PARK — Not to be outdone by Penn State baseball’s sweep in Minnesota, the Nittany Lions softball team took a three-game Big Ten series at home against Rutgers on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.
The Lions pitched their way to double-header wins on Friday and then hit a record three home runs in a 15-run outburst in Saturday’s final against the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers opened the game on Saturday, April 5, with seven runs in the first two innings in its bid to save one game in the series.
But the Lions brought their bats and answered with five runs in the first inning, four in the second and another three in the third to open a 12-7 lead after three innings.
Another three for PSU in the fifth made it 15-7 and it was on the way to its 18th victory of the season.
In the first for Penn State, Natalie Lieto hit a two-run single and Haylie Brunson connected for a two-run home run.
In the four-run second, Brooke Klosowicz hit a two-run double, and then both Klosowicz and Meagan Ricks hit home runs in the third inning that gave the Lions the 12-7 lead.
Penn State added its final runs in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Maddie Gordon and a two-run single by Michele Barbanente.
Jiselle Hernandez (3-0) took the win on the mound for PSU, while Abigail Britton pitched the final three innings and finished the victory.
The three home runs in the game raised the team’s total for the 2025 season to 54, breaking the record of 53 that was set last season.
In the double-header sweep on Friday, April 4, it was all about pitching as Penn State came away with a 2-1 win in the opener and then shut out the Knights, 8-0, in the nightcap.
Mady Volpe took the win in Game 1 with a masterful two-hitter in which she gave up one run on two hits with six walks and six strikeouts.
Penn State scored both of its runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Brunson and an unearned run, and Volpe made them stand up.
Rutgers closed to within a run after scoring in the top of the sixth, but Volpe closed it out in the seventh and gave her team its 16th win of the season.
Win No. 17 came in the nightcap.
Behind the two-hit, no-run pitching of Abigail Britton, Penn State pulled away from Rutgers in the late inning for an 8-0 win.
The Lions and Knights battled without a score into the fourth inning when Penn State broke the ice with three runs.
PSU added another run in the fifth and then closed out the six-inning victory with four more in the bottom of the sixth.
Penn State collected 11 hits overall led by Ricks and Kaylie Walters with two each. Pinch hitter Coleman struck for a two-run hit, and both Barbanente and Madison Seidel had a hit and an RBI.
The win was the 17th for the team against 18 losses and it improved the Lions’ Big Ten record to 4-5.
Next up for Penn State will be a weekend series on Friday, April 11, Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13, at home against Ohio State.
