UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite a hard-fought seventh-inning rally that forced extra-innings, the Penn State softball team dropped its final home game of the 2024 season on Sunday afternoon in a 3-2, nine-inning affair against the Michigan Wolverines at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
Before Sunday's contest got underway, Penn State took some time to honor six graduating senior members of the Nittany Lion softball program in the team's annual Senior Day presented by the Penn State Alumni Association. Liana Jones, Amanda Mack, Emily Maddock, Lauren Marcotte, Gaby Garcia and Kaitlyn Morrison have played an instrumental role in the resurgence of the Penn State softball program on the national stage, guiding the Blue & White to their third-consecutive 30-win campaign in 2024. PSU's seniors have helped establish the Nittany Lion program as a consistent winning team, recording three-consecutive 30-win seasons for the first time since PSU rattled off five such seasons from 1999 to 2003.
Sunday's result saw the Nittany Lions drop to 33-15 overall through this point in the 2024 campaign with an 11-9 record against Big Ten Conference competitors through six weeks of action in the league. Penn State dropped its third consecutive game against the Wolverines after rattling off a pair of consecutive wins in the 2022 regular season and 2023 Big Ten Tournament. The victory put Michigan in sole possession of second place in the B1G with a 16-3 conference record coupled with a 37-14 overall mark on the year.
Both teams managed five hits in what was a grueling defensive affair, with Maddock leading the way at the dish with a 2-for-4 performance that included an RBI double. Maddock, a native of Kempton, Pennsylvania, mustered her eighth game of the season with at least two hits and booked her 11th multi-hit game of the campaign overall following Sunday's result. Freshman Brooke Klosowicz entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, ultimately booking the RBI single that forced extra innings in one of the most clutch opportunities of her young Nittany Lion career. Elsewhere in the order, junior left fielder Maddie Gordon and junior right fielder Haylie Brunson both managed hits on the day to round out the PSU offense.
In the circle, freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth tallied her second complete game of the weekend, throwing all nine innings while surrendering just three earned runs and five hits against one of the most challenging offenses in the Big Ten Conference. The Glendora, California, native fanned three batters while allowing a trio of walks in her 13th complete game of 2024. The freshman was saddled with another bad-luck loss after tossing a gem in the circle, moving to 21-5 overall in her rookie year.
Both Nemeth and Michigan ace Lauren Derkowski worked a trio of no-hit innings to open the game, but the Wolverines were able to break the ice in the top of the fourth with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. Jones drew a walk on five pitches to get a response started for the Nittany Lion offense in the bottom of the frame. A pair of strikeouts put two away for the Blue & White, but Jones was able to advance 60 feet further courtesy of a stolen base. The Langhorne, Pennsylvania, native was able to advance to third on a wild pitch, and a double to left from Maddock brought the senior around for her final run scored at Beard Field.
Michigan snapped back with another run in the top of the sixth inning, but the Blue & White called on some late-game heroics to force extra innings. Trailing by one, Maddock sparked a Nittany Lion rally by ripping the first pitch of her at-bat through the right side of the infield for a single. Freshman Michela Barbanente entered to run for Maddock at first, and after a Nittany Lion strikeout, a Brunson single up the middle allowed Barbanente to advance to third. Sophomore Jenna Nelson pinch ran for Brunson at first, and after another PSU strikeout, Nelson stole second base. An ultra-clutch pinch-hit single to center field by Klosowicz plated Barbanente to deadlock the game at two runs apiece. Despite a valiant attempt on both sides of the ball in the next two frames, Michigan was able to tally the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth without a Nittany Lion answer, finalizing the 3-2 win for the Wolverines.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Emily Maddock | 2-for-4, RBI, 2B
Brooke Klosowicz | 1-for-1, RBI
Bridget Nemeth | CG, 9.0 IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 3K, 116TP
KEY INNINGS
T4 | Indiana Langford got the visitor's half of the fourth started with a hit by pitch and advanced to second following a Wolverine groundout. A single through the left side of the infield gave the speedy Langford time to round third and complete her journey home with a slide to give Michigan an early one-run advantage. MICH 1, PSU 0
B4 | Jones drew a walk on five pitches to get a response started for the Nittany Lion offense. A pair of strikeouts put two away for the Blue & White, but Jones was able to advance 60 feet further courtesy of a stolen base. The Langhorne, Pennsylvania, native was able to advance to third on a wild pitch, and a double to left from Maddock brought the senior around for her final run scored at Beard Field. PSU 1, MICH 1
T6 | Langford started the inning off with a single but was caught stealing moments later. A popup put two away for Michigan, but Keke Tholl was able to blast a solo shot over the fence in left center to give Michigan the lead once again. MICH 2, PSU 1
B7 | Trailing by one, Maddock sparked a Nittany Lion rally in the bottom of the seventh by ripping the first pitch of her at-bat through the right side of the infield for a single. Michela Barbanente entered to run for Maddock at first, and after a Nittany Lion strikeout, a Brunson single up the middle allowed Barbanente to advance to third. Jenna Nelson pinch ran for Brunson at first, and after another PSU strikeout, Nelson stole second base. A pinch-hit single to center field by Klosowicz plated Barbanente to deadlock the game at two runs apiece. PSU 2, MICH 2
T9 | After a pair of Wolverine groundouts, Jenissa Conway drew a walk and proceeded to steal second base. Lilly Vallimont singled to left, but the Nittany Lion throw to catch an aggressively running Conway was not in time as Michigan tallied the go-ahead score. MICH 3, PSU 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball hits the road for the final time in Big Ten Conference competition next weekend, Friday through Sunday, May 3 through 5. The Nittany Lions square off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for the final B1G series of the 2024 season at the Rutgers Softball Complex. All three games will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.
