AUSTIN, Texas – Highlighted by a slew of gritty performances on both sides of the ball, Penn State softball continued its astonishing start to the 2024 campaign with a pair of non-conference victories against the Hofstra Pride and Tarleton Texans Saturday afternoon at Red & Charline McCombs Field. The Nittany Lions logged a 4-1 result against Hofstra and followed that with an 8-7, extra-inning win over Tarleton on PSU's first day at the Longhorn Invitational.
Penn State's historic opening to the 2024 season rolled along Saturday, with the Nittany Lions matching the best start through 14 games in program history. PSU improved to 13-1 overall, matching the 1982 team's opening to the season. The Blue & White are currently riding a five-game winning streak dating to the first day of the Liberty Softball Classic a week ago, outscoring challengers by a 36-15 tally in that span. In defeat, Hofstra fell to 2-8 overall following its loss to PSU, and the Nittany Lions improved to 4-6 against the Pride all-time. Tarleton dropped to 11-9 overall after taking the first game in the all-time series against the Texans.
Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison finished the day batting 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and four RBI in addition to two runs scored. Freshman second baseman Jiselle Hernandez went .500, batting 3-for-6, with three runs scored and a walk drawn. Junior left fielder Maddie Gordon booked a pair of RBI and finished the day 3-for-7 with a pair of runs scored. In total, the Blue & White recorded 18 hits across both games and turned in a .310 team batting average en route to both victories in the Lone Star State.
PSU's pitching staff worked together on Saturday afternoon to lead the Blue & White to a pair of victories, with sophomore righty Paige Maynard guiding the Blue & White through a successful comeback attempt against Tarleton. Maynard tossed 2.1 innings, yielding zeros in the hit, run and earned run columns. Junior Mady Volpe booked the start in the first game of the day, logging a complete game in the win over Hofstra. On the day, Volpe threw 8.2 innings, yielding a .242 opponent batting average with nine strikeouts, improving to 3-0 on the season following the victory against the Pride. Junior Lydia Spalding earned the start in PSU's second game against Tarleton, booking 4.0 innings of work with three K's and one walk allowed.
The first game of the day got off to a complicated start thanks to a pair of doubles from the Pride in the bottom of the second inning. PSU quickly rebounded and got the game back on level terms after Brunson reached on a fielding error by the Hofstra second baseman, eventually completing her trip around the bases thanks to a Morrison double. In the top of the sixth, Morrison got the offense going with a single to right center field. A flyer to right put a pair of outs on the board for the Pride, but Maddock mustered a single up the middle to put a pair of runners on first and second. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Jones clobbered a two-RBI triple to right field to give the Blue & White the lead for good. PSU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh, ultimately completing the 4-1 result to open the day.
Both squads exchanged blows early in the second game of the day, with the Blue & White starting fast thanks to an RBI single from Morrison in the top of the first. Tarleton snapped back with a run in the home half, but the Blue & White were able to put a crooked number on the board in the second to go up by a 5-1 margin. With the Nittany Lions maintaining a four-run edge, the Texans were able to slowly chip away and ultimately take control of the game in the fourth and fifth innings thanks to a pair of homers and four combined RBI from Tarleton's Katy Schaefer. The Texans held on to a 6-5 edge until the top of the sixth when PSU tied the game once again, but another run scored in the bottom of the inning put Tarleton up heading into the top of the seventh.
In dire straits, the Nittany Lions had to dig deep to keep the game within arm's reach. Garcia led off the top of the seventh with a walk, and sophomore Jenna Nelson came in to pinch run for her at first. Maddock logged a grounder to the shortstop that gave Nelson time to reach second, but the Nittany Lions booked a flyout in the next at-bat to leave Tarleton three strikes away from victory. Klosowicz came in to pinch hit, and on what could have been the final strike of the game, she registered a single up the middle to deadlock the contest. After an uneventful bottom of the seventh, Hernandez was placed on second in line with international tiebreaker rules to open the eighth and advanced to third after a perfect sac bunt from Mack. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Gordon singled up the middle to bring the game-winning run aboard for the Blue & White. Maynard returned to the circle searching for the final three outs of the game, and the Shady Spring, West Virginia, native delivered PSU to its 13th win of the year.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. HOFSTRA)
Kaitlyn Morrison | 2-for-2, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, SB
Liana Jones | 1-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI
Mady Volpe | WIN, 7.0 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 7K, 118TP
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. TARLETON)
Maddie Gordon | 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB
Kaitlyn Morrison | 2-for-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI, SB, HBP
Paige Maynard | WIN, 2.1 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K, 33TP
KEY INNINGS (VS. HOFSTRA)
B2 | With one out on the board, Olivia Malinowski booked a double to left center field. A quick Hofstra grounder put two away, but Kayla Wilson's hard-hit ball managed to work its way past a diving Nittany Lion in center for an RBI double. HOF 1, PSU 0
T4 | Brunson reached on a fielding error by the Hofstra second baseman, eventually completing her trip around the bases thanks to a Morrison double. PSU 1, HOF 1
T6 | After a Nittany Lion popup, Morrison got the offense going with a single to right center field. A flyer to right put a pair of outs on the board for the Pride, but Maddock mustered a single up the middle to put a pair of runners on first and second. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Jones clobbered a two-RBI triple to right field to give the Blue & White the lead. PSU 3, HOF 1
T7 | Hernandez drew a crucial leadoff walk to open the seventh, and Mack executed a sac bunt that allowed the runner to advance to third. Gordon drew a walk to put runners on the corners and promptly stole second base to add further pressure on the Hofstra pitcher. With one away, Brunson delivered a sac fly to center that plated Hernandez for the insurance score. PSU 4, HOF 1
KEY INNINGS (VS. TARLETON)
T1 | Gordon led the game off with a single up the middle on the first pitch of the contest, advancing to second after a Brunson grounder toward the second baseman. With the runner in scoring position, Morrison was able to bring Gordon in with a single to left. PSU 1, TAR 0
B1 | The first two Texan batters went down by way of a swinging strikeout and popup to first, but Jordan Dickerson drew a walk to keep the frame alive. Katy Schaefer stepped up to the dish and sent an RBI double to right center that tied the contest. PSU 1, TAR 1
T2 | With one out on the board, Hernandez zipped a single through the left side of the infield. Mack drew a hit-by-pitch, moving Hernandez to second, and a Gordon five-pitch walk juiced the bases. Brunson booked an unassisted groundout to the first baseman that allowed Hernandez to score. Morrison stepped up in the next plate appearance and roped a two-RBI double to center that plated Gordon and Mack. Garcia stepped up to the dish and delivered another double in the next plate appearance that brought Morrison around. PSU 5, TAR 1
B4 | Schaefer delivered a solo shot over the wall in left field. PSU 5, TAR 2
B5 | Ashlee LaRue singled up the middle and advanced to second on a fielding error by the pitcher. LaRue advanced to third after a Kelci Hill single to center, and Kayla Wallace's double to right center allowed LaRue to score while Hill advanced to third. After Dickerson reached on a fielder's choice and Hill was called out at home, Schaefer booked a three-run homer to left to put Tarleton up. TAR 6, PSU 5
T6 | With one away, Hernandez booked yet another hit, a double to center field. Mendoza came in to pinch hit for Mack, with Barbanente subbing in to run for Hernandez at second. A Mendoza double to center that got lost in the sun allowed Barbanente to reach third, and an RBI single from Gordon brought Barbanente in to tie the game. PSU 6, TAR 6
B6 | Kiana Gibson doubled to left center to open the frame, and the next two Texan batters struck out swinging. Hill doubled to left center on the first pitch of her at-bat to plate Gibson and put Tarleton ahead. TAR 7, PSU 6
T7 | Garcia led off the top of the seventh with a walk, and Nelson came in to pinch run for her at first. Maddock logged a grounder to the shortstop that gave Nelson time to reach second, but the Nittany Lions booked a flyout in the next at-bat to leave PSU with its final out. Klosowicz came in to pinch hit, and on what could have been the final strike of the game, she instead registered a single up the middle to deadlock the contest. PSU 7, TAR 7
T8 | Hernandez was placed on second in line with international tiebreaker rules and advanced to third after a perfect sac bunt from Mack. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Gordon singled up the middle to bring the game-winning run aboard for the Blue & White. PSU 8, TAR 7
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its start to spring break in the Lone Star State, as the Nittany Lions face off against the Northwestern State Demons and Tarleton Texans on day two of the Longhorn Invitational from Red & Charline McCombs Field on Sunday, March 3. The Blue & White start the day against the Demons at 1:30 p.m. (ET) and conclude action against the Texans at 4 p.m. (ET). Both games will air live to a national television audience via the Longhorn Network, with streaming via the ESPN app.
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