UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After working a 3-1 count in her third at-bat of the contest, sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz lifted an emphatic solo shot over the fence in left center to crush the Penn State softball program’s 54th home run of 2025 to set a single-season team record. The Nittany Lions ultimately utilized a trio of long balls and 18 hits to secure a 15-11 win and series sweep over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
In a record chase that felt inevitable from the first weekend of the season, the 2025 Penn State softball team etched its name in history atop the program record book with their 54th home run in the team’s 60th anniversary season. PSU entered Saturday’s weekend finale needing two homers to break, and three to surpass the program record of 53 set a season ago en route to the first Nittany Lion NCAA Tournament bid since 2011. The Blue & White responded emphatically with all three, as senior right fielder Haylie Brunson, fifth-year first baseman Meagan Ricks and Klosowicz each delivered one shot apiece to provide Penn State’s 61st varsity roster with its’ place in history.
Offense was the name of the game in Saturday’s finale after a pair of gritty pitching performances the previous night that secured the weekend series. Hunting for a sweep, Penn State’s generational offensive lineup contributed 18 hits and 15 runs highlighted by eight knocks that went for extra bases. Seven of PSU’s nine offensive starters logged multiple-hit outings, with the Blue & White’s student-athletes boasting 88 such performances in 2025. A trio of Penn Staters finished the day with three hits, as sophomore shortstop Kaylie Walters went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, Klosowicz went 3-for-4 with a quartet of tallies, and freshman center fielder Natalie Lieto booked a 3-for-4 day at the dish that included a pair of RBI. Five different players finished with multiple runs batted in on the final day of the weekend set, with Klosowicz and sophomore second baseman Michela Barbanente logging a trio of ribbies apiece to lead all Penn State batters.
The Nittany Lion offense provided a significant amount of run support for Penn State’s pitching staff, with all four student-athletes seeing time in the circle across Saturday’s sweep-securing victory. Senior right-hander Mady Volpe booked her 32nd appearance and 18th start of the 2025 campaign, with the Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native earning the start in both categories. Sophomore Jiselle Hernandez earned the win as PSU’s pitcher of record when the Blue & White went ahead for good in the bottom of the second inning, bringing her individual record in the circle to 3-0 through her first 13 collegiate pitching opportunities. Senior southpaw Lydia Spalding was the most effective Nittany Lion in the circle on Saturday, with the Youngstown, Ohio, native going 2.0 frames with one hit, zero runs and one strikeout to her credit. Finally, freshman righty Abigail Britton closed things out for PSU with a trio of innings pitched, scattering four hits while allowing a trio of earned runs to close out the Nittany Lion win.
Rutgers looked to respond from a sluggish pair of offensive performances on Friday night with a high-octane opening frame on Saturday, booking more runs scored in half an inning of play than the previous two games combined following a 5-0 start. Unconcerned by the Scarlet Knights’ strong start on the offensive end, Ricks led the offensive portion of the game off for Penn State with an extra-base knock, sending a double to the wall in right field. Walters laid down a bunt single that saw Ricks advance to third, but a throwing error on Rutgers’ third baseman while attempting to cover it allowed Ricks to venture home. With Walters on first, Brunson worked a 3-1 count just before crushing the 10th home run of her senior season over the fence in left field to mark a two-run shot. Back-to-back walks by Klosowicz and Gordon kept the right side of the basepath lively, and following a PSU strikeout, both baserunners executed a double steal to place two runners in scoring position. Lieto took kindly to the situation, zipping a single up the middle just beneath the shortstop’s glove to tally two more Nittany Lion scores and deadlock the game at five-all through a wild first inning.
Rutgers added two more in the top of the second, but Ricks wore the fourth pitch of her at-bat as a hit-by-pitch and Walters slapped a single through the left side to put runners on first and second. Brunson grounded out, allowing both runners to take 60 more feet, and Klosowicz blasted a bases-clearing double to right field to tie the game once again. After a Scarlet Knight pitching change, Gordon was able to reach first and advance to third on a throwing error by the new pitcher while Klosowicz came around to score in the commotion. Barbanente closed the scoring in the frame out with an RBI grounder to the shortstop that brought Gordon aboard. Penn State carried a two-run lead into the top of the third inning, with the Blue & White leading by a 9-7 differential.
PSU’s pitching and defense held Rutgers scoreless in the top of the third, and the Nittany Lion bats stayed hot with a historic home half of the inning. Coleman sparked the Nittany Lion offense with a single to left that opened the bottom of the third, and Ricks managed to propel a line-drive home run down the right field line to give the Blue & White two more scores while tying the program’s single-season record in the category. A grounder and flyout put two away, but Klosowicz stepped up to the plate and dismantled a 3-1 offering over the fence in left center to mark the program’s 54th home run of the year to set a single-season program record. Both offenses took the fourth inning off just before Rutgers attempted a comeback with a run in the top of the fifth. PSU came dangerously close to notching their second run-rule victory of the weekend with a three-run home half, but the Scarlet Knights managed to escape a precarious position and elongate the finale. Despite a gutsy rally in the visitor’s half of the sixth, PSU’s defense came together to shut the door on an offensive slugfest, booking a 15-11 victory that secured the team’s first sweep of a B1G foe this year.
After a crucial weekend of Big Ten Conference competition in the books, Penn State battled its way back to .500 against overall challengers and league foes. The Nittany Lions have won each of their last four games to improve to 18-18 overall, while logging five victories in their last seven B1G opportunities to work their way to 5-5 in the conference. Rutgers fell to 16-24 overall following its 40th contest of 2025 while moving to 1-9 in the B1G through the team’s first 10 conference opportunities. Overall, the Nittany Lions booked their second series sweep against the Scarlet Knights in the last three seasons, including the second-straight sweep of Rutgers at Beard Field. PSU now leads the all-time series by a 43-20 differential following the 73rd all-time meeting on Saturday. Additionally, the Blue & White notched their first sweep of an opponent in the 2025 campaign and experienced their first sweep of a conference opponent since dispatching with the Indiana Hoosiers in a trio of opportunities at home from March 22 through 24, 2024.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Brooke Klosowicz | 3-for-4, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2B, TEAM SINGLE-SEASON RECORD-BREAKING HR, BB, SB
Meagan Ricks | 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR, HBP
Haylie Brunson | 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Lydia Spalding | 2.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K, 36TP
KEY INNINGS
T1 | Jillian Anderson led the game off for the Scarlet Knights with a double to right center, and LA Matthews followed that up with a walk to place runners on first and second. Bailey Briggs singled through the left side to load the bases, and Baileigh Burtis lifted a sac fly to center that brought Anderson in. Stephanie Kraska drew a walk to juice the bases once again, and Georgia Ingle’s single through the left side of the infield saw two more Scarlet Knights come in. After a PSU pitching change, Adie Osborne put a fielder’s choice in play that saw the lead runner put out on her way to third with runners remaining on first and second. Siera Hoekstra kept the runs coming for RU with a bases-clearing double to left center that marked the end of the five-run Scarlet Knight stretch. RUT 5, PSU 0
B1 | Ricks led the offensive portion of the game off for Penn State with an extra-base knock, sending a double to the wall in right field. Walters laid down a bunt single that saw Ricks advance to third, but a throwing error on Rutgers’ third baseman while attempting to cover it allowed Ricks to venture home. With Walters on first, Brunson worked a 3-1 count just before crushing the 10th home run of her senior season over the fence in left field to mark a two-run shot. Back-to-back walks by Klosowicz and Gordon kept the right side of the basepath lively, and following a PSU strikeout, both baserunners executed a double steal to place two runners in scoring position. Lieto took kindly to the situation, zipping a single up the middle just beneath the shortstop’s glove to tally two more Nittany Lion scores. PSU 5, RUT 5
T2 | Anderson led the top of the second off with a single to right and Matthews followed that up with an RBI double to the left-center gap. After a foul out put one away, Burtis sent a triple to right that brought Matthews in for the tally. RUT 7, PSU 5
B2 | Ricks wore the fourth pitch of her at-bat as a hit-by-pitch and Walters slapped a single through the left side to put runners on first and second. Brunson grounded out, allowing both runners to take 60 more feet, and Klosowicz blasted a bases-clearing double to right field to tie the game once again. After a Scarlet Knight pitching change, Gordon was able to reach first and advance to third on a throwing error by the new pitcher while Klosowicz came around to score in the commotion. Barbanente closed the scoring in the frame out with an RBI grounder to the shortstop that brought Gordon aboard. PSU 9, RUT 7
B3 | Coleman sparked the Nittany Lion bats with a single to left that opened the bottom of the third, and Ricks managed to propel a line-drive home run down the right field line to give the Blue & White two more scores while tying the program’s single-season record in the category. A grounder and flyout put two away, but Klosowicz stepped up to the plate and dismantled a 3-1 offering over the fence in left center to mark the program’s 54th home run of the year to set a single-season program record. PSU 12, RUT 7
T5 | With one down, Hoekstra drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hailey Stripling pinch hit in the nine hole and put a ball in play that ricocheted off the PSU first baseman for a multi-base error that allowed Hoekstra to come in for the unearned tally while Stripling was thrown out, 3-9-2-6, at second base. PSU 12, RUT 8
B5 | Brunson kicked off the home half of the fifth with a single to center, advancing to second after Klosowicz laced a single of her own to left. A double to right by Gordon moved Klosowicz to third while Brunson came around to score, and a perfectly placed single through the left side by Barbanente plated both Nittany Lion runners to make it a seven-run game through five frames. PSU 15, RUT 8
T6 | Briggs opened the visitor’s half of the sixth with a double down the third-base line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one away, Kelsie Riggan doubled to left center to easily plate Briggs, with Riggan tagging up to move 60 feet further after Lieto snagged a would-be extra-base knock in left center field to mark the second out of the inning. A double to left center by Osborne plated Riggan, and a single to left center by Hoekstra plated Osborne for the final run in the hectic back-and-forth affair. PSU 15, RUT 11
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its extensive stretch of nine-straight games at home with another midweek non-conference matchup against an in-state rival on deck. The Blue & White welcome the Saint Francis Red Flash to Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field this Tuesday, April 8, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. (ET). The game will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices.
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