BOCA RATON, Fla. – Led by back-to-back victories in the circle from freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth and an electric afternoon in the batter's box, Penn State softball recorded its first nationally ranked win since 2022 in a 3-2 extra-inning victory over No. 16 Arkansas, followed by an 8-0 run-rule result over the Ohio Bobcats Saturday afternoon from Joan Joyce Field. The Nittany Lions improve to 4-0 overall with an identical record at FAU's Paradise Classic and will conclude action at the event Sunday.
Penn State's result against Arkansas marked the first victory against an opponent inside the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll since recording a 3-2 victory against then-No. 22 Michigan on April 10, 2022 on the road in Ann Arbor. The Blue & White are off to a 4-0 start for the second year in a row, mirroring the 2023 team's start against Cleveland State, North Florida, Bethune-Cookman and Jacksonville.
In the all-time series against Arkansas, Penn State remains unbeaten and climbs to 3-0 against the Razorbacks. In PSU's three meetings with Arkansas, two of the three victorious outings from the Blue & White were decided in extra innings by 3-2 scores, the other coming on Feb. 24, 2006 in the first all-time meeting. Against Ohio, PSU assumes the lead in the series that dates to the 1976 season, rising to 4-3 all-time against the Bobcats. In defeat, Arkansas fell to 4-1 and concluded its stay in South Florida while Ohio dropped to 1-2. The Bobcats play host-FAU on Saturday night and finish the Paradise Classic in a rematch with the Nittany Lions on Sunday.
Nemeth's emergence as one of the premier freshmen pitchers in the nation continued on Saturday afternoon, with the Glendora, California, native earning victories in all four Penn State games played so far this season. She finished the day with zeros in the earned run and runs allowed categories while surrendering just four hits and one walk against five strikeouts. Junior pitcher Mady Volpe was crucial to PSU's success in the Arkansas win, tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless softball in relief of sophomore Paige Maynard, who booked an effective start against the Razorbacks. Maynard returned to the circle against Ohio and notched her first strikeout of the 2024 campaign in the win over the Bobcats.
In the batter's box, seven Nittany Lions managed to record a total of 16 base hits on the day, including six hits that went for extra bases. Senior catcher Gaby Garcia led the way for the Blue & White, finishing 2-for-3 on Saturday including a double, three-run home run and a trio of runs scored herself. Senior centerfielder Liana Jones lit both opponents up at the plate, going 4-for-6 on the day with a double, a triple, two RBI and three runs scored. Junior rightfielder Haylie Brunson hit .500 on Saturday, while senior infielders Kaitlyn Morrison and Emily Maddock both mustered timely plays in key moments that lifted PSU to both victories.
Penn State's historic day in South Florida began with a dramatic opening frame in which Arkansas managed to plate a run. The Blue & White responded in the bottom of the second with a run of their own to make things level, and the third inning passed largely without incident. In the top of the fourth, Arkansas lurched ahead once again, with PSU trailing by a 2-1 margin heading into the home half of the inning. To start things off, junior second baseman Maddie Gordon was hit by a pitch in her plate appearance, and Garcia executed a well-placed sacrifice bunt to advance the runner. A single to right center by Brunson allowed the speedy Gordon to complete her journey around the bases, evening the score at two runs apiece.
From there, PSU's three-pitcher platoon guided the defense through three scoreless innings, but the Blue & White were unable to plate the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Free softball began with Arkansas placing a runner at second base in line with international tiebreaker rules, but Nemeth led the Nittany Lions through a one-two-three inning to give PSU a chance to seal the win with the top of the order coming to the plate. Junior pitcher Lydia Spalding was placed on second base for PSU's half of the eighth, representing the game-winning run 120 feet away from home plate. Morrison stepped into the box and completed an ideal sac bunt to bring Spalding 60 feet closer to the dish. With the Razorback infield playing incredibly tight to prevent the walk-off score, Maddock entered the box and lined a hard-hit single toward the Arkansas first baseman, allowing Spalding time to score while providing Penn State with a 3-2 victory.
Against Ohio, the Nittany Lions got out to an early 2-0 lead and added four more runs to the scoreboard in the bottom half of the third inning thanks to a three-run shot from Garcia and an RBI double from freshman outfielder Michela Barbanente. The hit marked Barbanente's first collegiate knock, in addition to her first RBI. In the bottom of the fifth, Brunson singled through the right side with one out on the board, and Jones cranked a double to left that allowed Brunson to advance two bases. An RBI single from Nelson moved Jones to third and plated Brunson, and after Nelson stole second base, freshman designated player Audree Mendoza pelted the ball down the left field line to walk the Bobcats off.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. ARKANSAS)
Emily Maddock | 2-for-4, GAME-WINNING RBI
Haylie Brunson | 2-for-3, RBI
Liana Jones | 1-for-3, 3B, RBI
Bridget Nemeth | 2.0 IP, WIN, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K, 6BF
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. OHIO)
Liana Jones | 3-for-3, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Gaby Garcia | 2-for-3, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
Kaitlyn Morrison | 2-for-3, 2B, 1 R
Bridget Nemeth | 4.0 IP, WIN 4H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K
KEY INNINGS (VS. ARKANSAS)
T1 | Reagan Johnson led the game off with a single through the right side and immediately stole second moments later. Nia Carter reached on a fielding error by the second baseman, allowing Johnson the opportunity to advance to third. Rylin Hedgecock launched a sac fly to center that was safely corralled, allowing Johnston the opportunity to tag up and trot 60 feet home. ARK 1, PSU 0
B2 | Garcia opened the bottom of the second by wearing a pitch and earning a trip to first base, which was quickly followed by a Nittany Lion strikeout. With one down, Jones stepped to the plate and demolished the ball toward right centerfield, legging out a triple that allowed Garcia to complete her journey around the basepath. PSU 1, ARK 1
T4 | Raigan Kramer drew a walk to lead off the inning, and ultimately advanced to second after a groundout afforded her the opportunity. With two outs on the board, Kennedy Miller and Johnson drew walks to juice the bases. Carter hit through the left side for her second single of the day, plating Kramer. ARK 2, PSU 1
B4 | Gordon was hit by a pitch in her plate appearance, and Garcia executed a well-placed sacrifice bunt to advance the runner. A single to right centerfield by Brunson allowed the speedy Gordon to complete her journey around the bases, evening the score at two runs apiece. PSU 2, ARK 2
B8 | In accordance with international tiebreaker rules, Spalding was placed on second base, representing the game-winning run 120 feet away from home plate. Morrison stepped into the box and completed an ideal sac bunt to bring Spalding 60 feet closer to the dish. With the Razorback infield playing incredibly tight to prevent the walk-off score, Maddock entered the box and lined a hard-hit single toward the Arkansas first baseman, allowing Spalding to score while providing Penn State with its first nationally ranked win since 2021. PSU 3, ARK 2
KEY INNINGS (VS. OHIO)
B2 | Garcia opened the bottom of the second with a double to centerfield on PSU's first at-bat of the day. Brunson grounded out to the first baseman, allowing Garcia to advance to third. In PSU's next plate appearance, Jones stepped up and delivered an RBI single to right field that brought Garcia in for the opening score. Jones then stole second, and ultimately advanced to third after Mendoza reached on a fielding error by the Bobcat shortstop. A passed ball allowed Jones to complete her trip around the bases. PSU 2, OHIO 0
B3 | With one out on the board, Morrison doubled above the shortstop's outstretched glove, showcasing impressive speed just before reaching third on a wild pitch. Gordon drew a walk and immediately stole second at the next opportunity. With a pair of runners on base, Garcia entered the box and pelted the ball over the centerfield fence for her first Nittany Lion dinger, bringing three runs home in the process. Jones managed to leg out a bunt for a hit down the third base line, and a double from Barbanente drove Jones home. PSU 6, OHIO 0
B5 | Brunson singled through the right side with one out on the board, and Jones cranked a double to left that allowed Brunson to advance two bases. An RBI single from Nelson moved Jones to third and plated Brunson. After Nelson stole second base, Mendoza pelted the ball down the left field line to walk the Bobcats off. PSU 8, OHIO 0
UP NEXT
Penn State softball concludes its weekend stay in Boca Raton on Sunday, February 11, as the Nittany Lions square off in their fifth and final game of the Paradise Classic against the Ohio Bobcats, with action set to begin at 11:30 a.m. (ET) from Joan Joyce Field. Streaming is available via FloSoftball to authenticated subscribers, with live stats available at the Nittany Lion softball schedule page at GoPSUsports.com.
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