LINCOLN, Neb. – With the Nittany Lions down two in the top of the seventh inning, freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth stepped up to the plate with one out and launched her first career home run over the wall in center field, tying the game en route to Penn State's eventual 6-5, 10-inning victory to clinch its third consecutive Big Ten series against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Bowlin Stadium.
The victory ensured Penn State's best start to a Big Ten Conference campaign since the 2016 season in which the Blue & White started 8-2 against league foes. PSU boasts a 28-8 overall record in the 2024 campaign, needing just three more wins to match the Nittany Lion total from a season ago. Penn State needs just two more wins to book the program's third consecutive 30-win campaign, which would mark the first instance of three straight 30 win seasons since the Nittany Lions accomplished that feat in five straight years from 1999 to 2003.
In defeat, the Cornhuskers fell to 23-15 overall and 6-2 in Big Ten play, with the Cornhuskers sitting in the fourth place position in the league standings behind Northwestern, PSU and Minnesota. In the all-time series against Nebraska, Penn State improved to 8-15 overall and secured the first Big Ten series victory over the Cornhuskers since the program joined the conference in the 2012-13 academic year. PSU was previously 2-8 in Big Ten Conference regular season competition against Nebraska entering the weekend series in Lincoln.
Nemeth, one of the undisputed superstars in the Big Ten, further cemented herself at the helm of the Big Ten Freshman of the Year conversation with an astonishing complete-game performance in the circle paired with her first collegiate home run. Nemeth, a native of Glendora, California, tossed all 10 innings for the Blue & White and picked up her eighth complete game of the 2024 season in addition to her second of the weekend series. She struck out a career-high 14 batters en route to her Big Ten-leading 17th individual victory in the circle. Nemeth maintains the best earned run average in the conference with a 1.17 mark and has earned either a victory or save in 20 of her 22 collegiate appearances. At the plate on Sunday, Nemeth stepped into the most high-pressure situation she had faced to date and recorded her first hit, home run, RBI and run scored all in one swing with an emphatic two-run shot to center that forced extras and led PSU to the eventual 6-5 victory.
Elsewhere in the lineup, a trio of Nittany Lion batters recorded multi-hit outings, highlighted by senior center fielder Liana Jones' 2-for-4 performance with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Senior second baseman Kaitlyn Morrison turned in an exquisite 2-for-5 outing in the batter's box highlighted by the go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning that gave Penn State the lead for good. Junior right fielder Maddie Gordon went 2-for-5 with a double, while junior designated player Haylie Brunson booked a double to round out the five Nittany Lions with a hit in Sunday's instant classic.
After an uneventful opening inning, Garcia led the top of the second inning off with a leadoff walk on five pitches, setting the table for a Jones double to left that placed PSU runners on second and third. With no outs on the scoreboard, Brunson cranked a double to center that plated both PSU runners, giving the Nittany Lions some early momentum on the offensive end. Nebraska responded with a two-run home half of the second, forcing a deadlock for the next three and a half innings of work. The high-stress environment played on in the bottom of the sixth, with Nebraska tacking on two more runs on a two-run homer to take a 4-2 advantage into the top of the seventh.
Unfazed by Nebraska's offensive advance in the bottom of the sixth, Jones stepped up to bat and roped a double down the left field line to lead off the do-or-die frame. A Nittany Lion flew out in the next at-bat, bringing Nemeth up to the plate for her 11th at-bat of her freshman season. After working an astounding eight-pitch at-bat that included back-to-back foul balls to stay alive, Nemeth crushed her first career home run over the fence in dead center to deadlock the game and force extra innings. After the eighth and ninth passed without significant incident, Hernandez led things off for Penn State in the top of the 10th, reaching first on Nebraska's only fielding error of the weekend series. After Poletti executed a sacrifice bunt, Morrison stepped up to the dish and a two-run homer over the fence that gave Penn State a 6-4 lead, needing just three outs to book the series win. Although Nebraska added a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, PSU escaped Nebraska with a 2-1 victory in a gritty series.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Liana Jones | 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B
Kaitlyn Morrison | 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, GO-AHEAD TWO-RUN HR
Bridget Nemeth (Batter) | 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, GAME-TYING TWO-RUN HR
Bridget Nemeth (Pitcher) | WIN, CG, 10.0 IP, 10H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 14K, 169TP
KEY INNINGS
T2 | Garcia led the top of the second inning off with a leadoff walk on five pitches, setting the table for a Jones double to left that placed PSU runners on second and third. With no outs on the scoreboard, Brunson cranked a double to center that plated both PSU runners, giving the Nittany Lions some early momentum on the offensive end. PSU 2, NEB 0
B2 | With two outs on the scoreboard, Bella Bacon sparked a rally for the Cornhuskers with a double down the left field line. Caitlynn Neal singled to left field and advanced to second on the throw that attempted to stop Bacon's advance home, but the Huskers were able to plate a runner on the play. Katelyn Caneda doubled in the next at-bat, bringing the tying run home for Nebraska. PSU 2, NEB 2
B6 | In the bottom of the sixth, Nebraska saw a pair of hitters go down via a popout and strikeout, but Bacon kept the inning alive with a single to right field. Aided by the wind, Neal recorded her first home run of the season over the wall in right center to put the Cornhuskers up two. NEB 4, PSU 2
T7 | Unfazed by Nebraska's offensive advance in the bottom of the sixth, Jones stepped up to bat and roped a double down the left field line to lead off the do-or-die frame. A Nittany Lion flew out in the next at-bat, bringing Nemeth up to the plate for her 11th at-bat of her freshman season. After working an astounding eight-pitch at-bat that included back-to-back foul balls to stay alive, Nemeth crushed her first career home run over the fence in dead center to deadlock the game and force extra innings. PSU 4, NEB 4
T10 | Hernandez led things off for Penn State in the top of the 10th, reaching first base on Nebraska's only fielding error of the weekend series. After Poletti executed an ideal 5-4 sacrifice bunt, Morrison stepped up to the dish and smacked what appeared to be an extra-base hit toward the gap in right-center. Instead, due to the heavy wind gusts at Bowlin Stadium, Morrison's gapper escaped the yard and ensured Penn State a 6-4 lead, needing just three outs to book the series win. PSU 6, NEB 4
B10 | With two outs on the scoreboard, Peyton Cody homered to right center. PSU 6, NEB 5
UP NEXT
Penn State softball returns home to Happy Valley and gets set for PSU's annual Blue-White Weekend, with the Nittany Lions set to host a three-game Big Ten Conference series against the Michigan State Spartans at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field beginning Friday and concluding Sunday, April 12 through 14. All three games are set to stream to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
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