AUSTIN, Texas – Powered by late-game heroics and impeccable offensive performances, the Penn State softball team extended its greatest start in program history Sunday while powering past the Northwestern State Demons and Tarleton Texans from Red & Charline McCombs Field. PSU walked the Demons off by a 3-2 tally in the first game of the day and lit the scoreboard up in an 11-8 barnburner against the Texans.
The 2024 Penn State softball roster further cemented its place in history on Sunday in the Lone Star State's capital, improving to a program-record 15-1 overall through its first 16 games on the calendar. PSU's 2024 squad already boasts the longest season-opening win streak in program history with eight wins to open the year, and the Nittany Lions currently boast a seven-game winning streak dating to the team's 5-2 victory against Morgan State on February 24. In Penn State's last seven games, the Blue & White have managed to outscore opponents by a 50-25 margin while hitting .360 as a team and allowing an opponent batting average of just .228.
PSU's 15-1 start places the Nittany Lions in rarified air among current Big Ten Conference member institutions, with the Blue & White joining Indiana as the only two teams in the league with 15 victories while standing alone as the only team in the conference with fewer than four losses. Penn State's winning percentage of .938 places the Blue & White inside the top 10 nationally, with a matchup against second-ranked Texas on the docket for Monday night. In defeat, Northwestern State fell to 11-12 overall while Tarleton dropped back to .500 at 11-11. Penn State now leads the all-time series against both schools, rising to 1-0 against the Demons and 2-0 against the Texans after beating Tarleton twice in as many days.
On the day, Penn State's offense hit at an electrifying .365 clip, scoring 14 combined runs on 19 hits across both contests. Ten Nittany Lions managed to book at least one hit on the afternoon, highlighted by junior left fielder Maddie Gordon's outstanding 4-for-7 day at the plate that included two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Senior third baseman Emily Maddock tallied three hits in six at-bats, scoring a run, while senior shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison carried PSU to victory against the Demons thanks to a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh that scored sophomore Jenna Nelson. Morrison, a native of South Park, Pennsylvania, went 2-for-4 on the day with a double and RBI single. Elsewhere in the lineup, senior center fielder Liana Jones led the Blue & White with four RBI, hitting 2-for-5 in Sunday's twin-bill.
PSU called on a trio of pitchers to lead the Nittany Lions to victory, with the staff combining for seven strikeouts on the day. Junior southpaw Lydia Spalding notched the start against the Demons and pitched effectively in relief against the Texans. Sophomore Paige Maynard earned the starting nod against the Texans, logging 3.0 innings of work. Finally, junior Mady Volpe came up clutch when it mattered most, guiding the Nittany Lions to a pair of hard-fought wins as the pitcher of record, bringing her individual mark this season to 5-0.
The Blue & White wasted no time at the plate in the first game of the day, as Brunson crushed a 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in right center field for the first Nittany Lion homer of the weekend. PSU utilized a two-out rally to add another score in the bottom of the third, but a Northwestern State reply in the top of the sixth left the game deadlocked. Volpe sat the Demons down in the top of the seventh with the help of some stellar defense, and PSU sought a walk off opportunity in the home half. Maddock booked a single up the middle to lead things off, and Nelson came in to pinch run for her at first. A well-executed sacrifice bunt by Gordon moved Nelson into scoring position, and Brunson drew a five-pitch walk to put a pair of runners on the right side of the infield. Morrison stepped into the batter's box and recorded the game-winning hit to left center that brought Nelson all the way home, finalizing PSU's 3-2 win over the Demons in the lid-lifter.
A quick turnaround brought PSU's defense back to the field for what would become an absolute barnburner against the Texans. The Nittany Lions started fast yet again, tallying a 1-0 lead after the first frame, but the Texans would bring two runs home in the third and three more in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Despite a four-run lead on the board for Tarleton, the Blue & White called on their signature grit to leap ahead in the bottom half of the fourth inning, utilizing RBI hits from Jones, Gordon and freshman designated player Audree Mendoza to plate five runs and take a 6-5 lead. Tarleton replied with three more scores in the fifth to force another lead change. PSU slammed the door in the home half of the fifth inning with its second-straight five-run frame, and Volpe's magnificent outing in the circle brought Penn State an 11-8 victory in the finale.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE)
Haylie Brunson | 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, BB
Kaitlyn Morrison | 1-for-2, GAME-WINNING H, RBI, 2 BB
Lydia Spalding | 5.0 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K, 55TP
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. TARLETON)
Maddie Gordon | 3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B
Liana Jones | 2-for-3, R, 4 RBI, 2B
Mady Volpe | WIN, 3.0 IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 4K, 70TP
KEY INNINGS (VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE)
B1 | With one out on the scoreboard, Brunson crushed a 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in right center field for the first Nittany Lion homer of the weekend. PSU 1, NSU 0
B3 | After a Nittany Lion groundout and lineout, Gordon booked a single toward the right side of the infield to spark a two-out rally. In the next PSU at-bat, Brunson roped the first pitch of her plate appearance to left field for an RBI double that brought Gordon all the way around. PSU 2, NSU 0
T6 | Taylor Williams booked a bunt single to the pitcher, and Laney Roos walked to advance Williams 60 feet further. Tristin Court's sac bunt advanced both runners, and a Cameron Curtis single up the middle and ensuing fielding error by the Nittany Lion centerfielder brought a pair of runs in to tie the game. PSU 2, NSU 2
B7 | Maddock booked a single up the middle to lead off the home half of the seventh, and Nelson came in to pinch run for her at first. A well-executed sacrifice bunt by Gordon moved Nelson into scoring position, and Brunson drew a five-pitch walk to put a pair of runners on the right side of the infield. Morrison stepped into the batter's box and recorded the game-winning hit to left center that brought Nelson all the way home. PSU 3, NSU 2
KEY INNINGS (VS. TARLETON)
B1 | Gordon led the home half off with a double to left field in a six-pitch at-bat, and Brunson booked an RBI double to center to plate PSU's first run of the game. PSU 1, TAR 0
T3 | Hayden Fox booked a single to left to lead off the inning, and Ashlee LaRue executed a sac bunt to advance the runner. Kelci Hill tallied an RBI double to center that plated Fox, and Kayla Wallace followed in the next at-bat with a double to center that brought Hill in. TAR 2, PSU 1
T4 | Kiana Gibson drew a leadoff walk, and Hill's single to center put runners on first and second. After a quick Tarleton flyout, LaRue drew a walk to juice the bases. Another Texan flyout would put two away, but a Wallace single to right plated Gibson and Hill. Jordan Dickerson singled to left field moments later to bring LaRue in for Tarleton's third run of the frame. TAR 5, PSU 1
B4 | Morrison opened the frame with a double to left center, and Garcia drew a hit-by-pitch to place runners on first and second. A single to left from Mendoza brought Morrison in and advanced Garcia to second, but a Nittany Lion lineout put one away in the next at-bat. Poletti pinch-hit for Mack and singled to left, juicing the bases. Jones cleared the bases with a double to left center, adding three RBI to her total on the day. After a Texan pitching change, a groundout to third moved Jones 60 feet away from home, and a single to right center from Gordon brought her in.PSU 6, TAR 5
T5 | After a Tarleton strikeout, Hill logged a double to center, and Bella Hernandez came in to run for her at second. Fox drew a walk, and LaRue singled toward the second baseman to load the bases. Hill doubled down the left field line, clearing the bases for a trio of RBI. TAR 8, PSU 6
B5 | Morrison drew a leadoff walk, and Garcia followed suit with another base-on-balls in the next plate appearance. After a PSU lineout, Hernandez doubled to center and advanced to third on the throw, while Morrison and Garcia trotted around the bases to home plate. A single to left from Mack plated Hernandez, and Mack advanced to second moments later on a wild pitch. Jones singled to center in the next at-bat, advancing to second on the throw while Mack made her way back to the dish. Maddock then singled to center and advanced to second on Tarleton's throw home, which caught Jones just before she was able to reach the plate. With two away, Gordon singled to left field, allowing Maddock to return home for PSU's fifth run of the frame. PSU 11, TAR 8
UP NEXT
Penn State softball returns to action for the final day and marquee matchup of the Longhorn Invitational, as the Nittany Lions face off against the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Monday, March 4. First pitch from Red & Charline McCombs Field is slated for 6 p.m. (ET), with the game set to air to a national television audience on the Longhorn Network with streaming available on the ESPN app.
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