COLLEGE PARK, Md. – After cranking a two-run shot in the top of the fifth inning, senior outfielder Haylie Brunson etched the 2025 Penn State softball team into the record book as the highest-scoring offense in program history, with the Blue & White surpassing the single-season runs scored record of 289. The Nittany Lions went on to publish a dominant 10-2, six-inning victory on Friday over the Maryland Terrapins in the first of three games from Maryland Softball Stadium.
Already one of the most prolific offenses in program history, the 2025 Penn State roster all but finalized its place as the greatest offensive unit in the team’s 61 varsity seasons with another historic milestone on Friday night. The Blue & White entered the series opener against Maryland needing just three runs to tie and four to surpass the single-season program record of 289 set by the 2016 team. Penn State responded emphatically with 10 runs on nine hits, improving to 296 runs scored this season. Brunson’s two-run shot in the top of the fifth plated herself and fifth-year teammate Meagan Ricks, whose tally represented the record-breaking score.
Ricks, a native of Winter Haven, Florida, continued her torrid stretch of effort at the dish in Big Ten Conference play on Friday, with the veteran first baseman improving her season-best hitting streak to seven consecutive games to tie for third on the roster in the category this year. Ricks finished the night 3-for-4, marking her third performance with three hits as a Nittany Lion as well as the sixth such performance of her collegiate career. All three of her knocks went for extra bases, with the fifth-year standout notching a pair of doubles and a solo home run as the leadoff batter for Penn State in the top of the first inning.
Sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz was the only other Penn Stater with a multi-hit performance in Friday night’s run-rule result, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI and two doubles. Following her RBI double in the top of the fifth, Klosowicz moved into sole possession of third place all-time at PSU for RBI in a single season, needing just two more to tie and three to surpass the program record of 49 set by Jennifer Tripken and Nan Sichler in the 2002 and 1988 seasons, respectively. Meanwhile, the Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, native Brunson’s homer highlighted a 1-for-3 line that included two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base. Senior third baseman Maddie Gordon and sophomore second baseman Michela Barbanente both booked doubles on the night, while freshman left fielder Natalie Lieto mustered a two-RBI single.
In the circle, senior right-hander Mady Volpe was lights-out in 5.0 frames against the Terrapins, with the Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native booking her eighth win of the 2025 campaign to further solidify her place atop the Nittany Lion pitching staff in the statistic. Volpe scattered a pair of hits in the game and let up both Terrapin tallies, with a single run going in the book as earned against the veteran northpaw. Volpe walked a pair of batters and amassed five punchouts on the night, additionally making a key defensive play by starting a lineout double play in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freshman right-hander and LaVale, Maryland, native Abigail Britton tossed the final inning, allowing a hit while keeping the board clean to preserve PSU’s run-rule margin in the game. Behind their pitching pair, the Penn State defense held their own, generating a pair of highlight-reel double plays while playing error-free for the 19th time this season.
Penn State wasted little time asserting itself in the early moments of the weekend series opener, as Ricks tore the cover off the softball and clobbered a leadoff solo shot over the fence in dead center to give the Blue & White an early 1-0 advantage. A flyout put one away, but Klosowicz kept the inning going with a double laced down the left field line. Gordon drew a hit-by-pitch to place a pair of runners on the right side of the infield, and Lieto sent an RBI single through the left side that plated Klosowicz to make it a two-run affair. Maryland was able to deadlock the game through three innings of play, but an unearned Nittany Lion tally capitalized on a Terrapin error to break the tie for good.
In the top of the fifth, Ricks booked her second hit of the night with a double to right center off the wall, and Brunson made it a three-run Nittany Lion edge with a dominant two-run bomb over the fence in left center. Following a variety of pitching and defensive changes for the Terrapins, Klosowicz managed to keep the inning going by reaching first after the Maryland first baseman was credited with an error for bobbling the ball. A double to right by Gordon advanced Klosowicz to third, and a groundout by Lieto drove Klosowicz in to score while Gordon moved to take her place at third. After a lengthy review, Barbanente cranked a double to left center that brought Gordon in to close out the four-run inning. After giving up a leadoff single in the home half, Volpe flashed the leather and corralled a liner that ultimately resulted in a 1-3 double play to neutralize the Terrapin threat.
Already leading by five, the Nittany Lions were able to tack on three more insurance scores, as with one down in the sixth, Ricks continued her spectacular evening with her third hit and second double of the night. Brunson drew a walk, and both student-athletes executed a double steal moments later to move into prime scoring position. A wild pitch plated Ricks while Brunson moved to third, and an RBI double to left center by Klosowicz brought Brunson aboard. Maryland moved on to their third pitcher of the game, who promptly walked Gordon and tossed a wild offering that advanced both runners to the left side of the infield. A strikeout put two away, but another wild pitch allowed Klosowicz to slide in safely at home to place the Nittany Lions in run-rule territory. Faced with a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth, Brunson was able to turn what would have been a game-extending sacrifice fly into a miraculous throw that caught the Terrapin runner off guard, ending the game and securing a 10-2 victory for Penn State in six innings of effort.
Following the win, Penn State saw its overall season record improve to 21-24 overall with a 7-10 ledger against Big Ten Conference competition through the first 17 league opportunities. With their loss at home, Maryland dropped to 17-26 overall and moved to 3-14 following their 17th Big Ten game of the 2025 campaign. After the 42nd all-time meeting of the two programs on the diamond, Penn State further solidified its lead over the Terrapins by improving to 25-17 against Maryland since the first meeting of the squads in 1999. PSU will look to book its third-straight regular season series win over the Terrapins dating to the 2023 regular season in the 43rd all-time meeting on Saturday afternoon.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Meagan Ricks | 3-for-4, 3 R, RBI, 2 2B, HR, SB
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, 2 2B
Haylie Brunson | 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB
Mady Volpe | 5.0 IP, 2H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 5K
KEY INNINGS
T1 | After working a 1-2 count early on in her at-bat, Ricks tore the cover off the softball and clobbered a leadoff solo shot over the fence in dead center to give the Blue & White an early 1-0 advantage. A flyout put one away, but Klosowicz kept the inning going with a double laced down the left field line. Gordon drew a hit-by-pitch to place a pair of runners on the right side of the infield, and Lieto sent an RBI single through the left side that plated Klosowicz to make it a two-run affair. PSU 2, UMD 0
B1 | Mazie MacFarlane and Sammi Woods drew back-to-back walks to place runners on the right side, but a strikeout put one away. A passed ball saw both runners move into scoring position, and a sacrifice fly to left brought the unearned Terrapin tally across. PSU 2, UMD 1
B3 | With a pair of outs on the scoreboard, Woods stepped into the box for her second plate appearance of the evening and lifted the first pitch of her at-bat over the fence in left field to deadlock the game at two runs apiece. PSU 2, UMD 2
T4 | Lieto drew a leadoff hit-by-pitch and Barbanente bumped her over with a 1-4 sacrifice bunt to place the Nittany Lion runner in scoring position. After a popup put the second out on the board, Nelson put a ball in play that the Terrapin catcher erroneously threw past the first baseman, allowing Nelson to reach second while Lieto came around to break the deadlock. PSU 3, UMD 2
T5 | Ricks booked her second hit of the night with a double to right center off the wall, and Brunson made it a three-run Nittany Lion edge with a dominant two-run bomb over the fence in left center. Following a variety of pitching and defensive changes for the Terrapins, Klosowicz managed to keep the inning going by reaching first after the Maryland first baseman was credited with an error for bobbling the ball. A double to right by Gordon advanced Klosowicz to third, and a groundout by Lieto drove Klosowicz in to score while Gordon moved to take her place at third. After a lengthy review, Barbanente cranked a double to left center that brought Gordon in to close out the four-run inning. PSU 7, UMD 2
T6 | With one down, Ricks continued her spectacular evening with her third hit and second double of the night, this time to left center. Brunson drew a walk, and both student-athletes executed a double steal moments later to move into prime scoring position. A wild pitch plated Ricks while Brunson moved to third, and an RBI double to left center by Klosowicz brought Brunson aboard. Maryland moved on to their third pitcher of the game, who promptly walked Gordon and tossed a wild offering that advanced both runners to the left side of the infield. A strikeout put two away, but another wild pitch allowed Klosowicz to slide in safely at home to place the Nittany Lions in run-rule territory. PSU 10, UMD 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its final road weekend in Big Ten Conference competition for the 2025 regular season and proceeds with the second game of its three-game series against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, April 26. First pitch from the Maryland Softball Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET), with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. The link to view live stats provided by StatBroadcast and the University of Maryland is available via the Penn State softball schedule webpage at GoPSUsports.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow along on the Nittany Lions’ social media channels for live in-game updates.
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Instagram and X @PennStateSB.