UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball secured the series victory in its first Big Ten Conference set of the 2024 campaign, downing the Indiana Hoosiers by an 8-3 tally Saturday afternoon from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The Blue & White turned in a series win over their inaugural B1G opponent for the first time since the 2019 season.
With Saturday's series-clinching result, the Nittany Lions improved to 22-6 overall and 2-0 against Big Ten Conference opposition while Indiana dropped to 22-8 and 0-2 in the league. The Nittany Lions open B1G play unbeaten through two contests for the first time since the 2016 roster rattled off back-to-back Big Ten-opening wins in a series sweep of Rutgers. The 2019 squad was the most recent Nittany Lion roster to turn in a B1G-opening series win, responding to a loss against Michigan State with consecutive victories to snag the series. PSU has won five of the last seven meetings against Indiana and secured its first series victory against the Hoosiers since taking two-of-three off IU in 2022.
On the offensive side of things, Penn State mustered its 10th performance with double digits in the hit column this year highlighted by a whopping six extra-base hits on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions cranked a pair of home runs, three doubles and a triple in the victorious result, with the triple marking PSU's 15th of the campaign. The 2024 Nittany Lions remain in sole possession of fifth place all-time in the Penn State record book for triples in a single season, needing just one more to move into a tie for third all-time. PSU also logged its fourth multi-homer game of the season and first regular season game against a conference opponent with two or more homers since launching two at home against Illinois on April 29 of last year.
The Nittany Lion lineup finished the day hitting .370 as a squad, going 10-for-27 overall while forcing six extra-base hits against one XBH from the Hoosiers. A quartet of Penn Staters recorded multi-hit games, with senior designated player Kaitlyn Morrison turning in a 2-for-3 line with a double, triple and two runs scored. Senior third baseman Emily Maddock was an efficient 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, adding an RBI double in the home half of the sixth that plated Morrison. Junior second baseman Maddie Gordon wreaked havoc on the Indiana pitching staff, going 2-for-4 with an emphatic three-run dinger in addition to an RBI single with a pair of runs on the day. Finally, senior center fielder Liana Jones was an effective 2-for-3 with a double for her seventh multi-hit outing of 2024.
In the circle, Penn State awarded the Saturday start to junior Mady Volpe, who worked a full inning before freshman Bridget Nemeth entered in relief during the top of the second. The freshman sensation from Glendora, California, pitched six phenomenal innings en route to her second win of the weekend and 12th victory of the season overall, with Nemeth improving to 12-0 through this point in her rookie campaign. She tossed 6.0 innings and scattered six hits with a single earned run allowed, fanning three batters with zero walks in her superb individual showing.
Indiana managed to get the game started with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, utilizing a two-run homer with two outs on the board to open the scoring Saturday afternoon. Seeking an immediate response, Morrison led the home half of the inning off with a double to right center field, and Maddock laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Morrison to third. PSU booked a grounder to the shortstop that held Morrison up at third, but Gordon lined an RBI single to right field that plated her. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, Brunson pelted the softball over the fence in right center to put Penn State back in control. The Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, native registered her fifth homer of the 2024 campaign in addition to her second in the last three contests.
In the top of the second inning, Indiana managed to juice the bases after a pair of walks and an error. With Nemeth called out of the bullpen, the freshman turned a bases-loaded, no-out situation into a scoreless frame for the Hoosiers, registering her first of three strikeouts against IU in the inning. With a rejuvenating sense of command over the contest, Penn State and Indiana played three-and-a-half innings of scoreless ball before the Nittany Lions added to their lead in the fifth and sixth innings.
Morrison drew a leadoff walk on four pitches to start the bottom of the fifth, advancing to second after Maddock sent a bloop single to center. After a quick foul out, Gordon stepped up to the dish and unloaded her fifth long ball of the 2024 campaign over the wall in left center field, tacking three more runs on for Penn State. IU's portion of the sixth passed quietly, and after a pair of quick Nittany Lion outs in the bottom of the inning, Morrison sparked a two-out rally with a triple down the right-field line. Maddock stepped up moments later and cranked the first pitch of her at-bat to right field for an easy RBI double. With Maddock entrenched on second, Garcia clocked an RBI single up the middle and advanced to second on the Hoosier's failed attempt to throw Maddock out at home. After Indiana added a run on the final play of the game, Penn State was able to turn in an 8-3 final score to clinch the series.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Maddie Gordon | 2-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR
Emily Maddock | 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SAC BU
Bridget Nemeth | WIN, 6.0 IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 3K, 71TP
KEY INNINGS
T1 | With one out on the board, Brianna Copeland drew a walk, but IU registered a quick pop-out to put two away. On a 1-1 count, Avery Parker recorded a two-run home run to left field to put the Hoosiers ahead early. IU 2, PSU 0
B1 | Morrison led the home half of the inning off with a double to right center field, and Maddock laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Morrison to third. PSU booked a grounder to the shortstop that held Morrison up at third, but Gordon lined an RBI single to right field that plated her. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, Brunson pelted the softball over the fence in right center to put Penn State back in control. PSU 3, IU 2
B5 | Morrison drew a leadoff walk on four pitches to start the bottom of the fifth, advancing to second after Maddock sent a bloop single to center. After a quick foul out, Gordon stepped up to the dish and unloaded her fifth long ball of the 2024 campaign over the wall in left center field, tacking three more runs on for Penn State. PSU 6, IU 2
B6 | After a pair of quick Nittany Lion outs, Morrison sparked a two-out rally with a triple down the right-field line. Maddock stepped up moments later and cranked the first pitch of her at-bat to right field for an easy RBI double. With Maddock entrenched on second, Garcia clocked an RBI single up the middle and advanced to second on the Hoosier's failed attempt to throw Maddock out at home. PSU 8, IU 2
T7 | Copeland recorded a one-out single toward the second baseman and advanced to second after a groundout by her successor in the box. With two away, Parker singled through the right side, placing runners on the corners. In Aly VanBrandt's at-bat, the freshman recorded an infield single that allowed Copeland to score, but Parker's over-pursuit on the basepath saw her thrown out at third, 6-5, to close out the contest. PSU 8, IU 3
UP NEXT
Penn State softball wraps up its inaugural Big Ten Conference series against the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, March 24, with first pitch scheduled for noon (ET) at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The game will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+, with live streaming and live stat links available at the Penn State softball schedule webpage at GoPSUsports.com.
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