PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Freshman right-handed pitcher Bridget Nemeth etched her name at the top of the Penn State softball leaderboard for wins in a single season on Friday afternoon, booking the 22nd victory of her rookie campaign while leading the Nittany Lions to a 4-1 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Rutgers Softball Complex.
Nemeth, a native of Glendora, California, became the third woman in program history to book at least 22 wins in a single year, joining program alumnae Bailey Parshall and Kelly McCann, who accomplished that feat in the 2022 and 2001 seasons, respectively. PSU's rookie sensation rose to 22-5 overall, adding to her league-leading victory tally while securing her 14th complete game of the 2024 campaign. The freshman's historic debut season continued following an eight-strikeout performance which brought her season total of strikeouts to 174, the 12th most K's in a single season in school history.
On the back of Nemeth's historic performance, the 2024 Nittany Lions moved into a tie for fourth all-time at PSU for wins in a single season, improving to 34-15 overall with a 12-9 mark against Big Ten Conference competitors. Penn State's 12 conference wins this season also stand as the fourth-most in a single year in program history. In the all-time series against Rutgers, the Nittany Lions picked up their 40th win over the Scarlet Knights and climbed to 40-28 in a series that dates to the 1980 season. PSU is 9-2 against Rutgers in the last 11 meetings and has won each of the last four contests dating to last year's Nittany Lion sweep in University Park. In defeat, Rutgers dropped to 31-21 and 12-9 in the B1G.
On the offensive side of the ball, PSU finished the day with seven hits including three that went for extra bases. Junior utility Maddie Gordon led the way for the Blue & White, going 2-for-3 overall with a run scored, three RBI, a home run, sac fly and stolen base on the day. Gordon's dinger in the top of the sixth inning marked her 11th of the 2024 season, moving her into a tie for the eighth-most home runs in a single season at PSU all-time alongside Alyssa VanDerveer and Kristina Brackpool. The Shenandoah, Virginia, native's dinger also ensured her 43rd run scored in 2024, moving her into a tie for the seventh-most runs in a Nittany Lion season all-time alongside Macy Jones.
Elsewhere in the lineup, senior second baseman Kaitlyn Morrison turned in an impressive 3-for-4 showing with two runs scored and an RBI double. Morrison's 15th two-bagger of 2024 moved her into a tie alongside five other players for the fourth-most doubles in a single year in Happy Valley. The South Park, Pennsylvania, native turned in her 13th multi-hit outing of the season in addition to her first instance of three hits or more this year. Senior third baseman Emily Maddock booked a 2-for-4 showing with a double, marking her 12th multi-hit performance of her Nittany Lion swansong.
Penn State wasted little time getting the offense rolling in the top of the first, with Morrison leading the game off with a single on an 0-1 count. Senior center fielder Liana Jones followed that up in the next plate appearance with a walk to put runners on first and second. Senior catcher Gaby Garcia stepped up moments later and executed a pristine sac bunt that allowed Morrison and Jones to each advance 60 feet closer to home. From there, Gordon lifted a bloop single over the second baseman's glove into short right field to drive Morrison in for the first score of the day. After Nemeth booked a one-two-three inning in the circle, freshman first baseman Gianna Poletti sparked a two-out rally with a hard-hit ball to left that erroneously danced out of the fielder's glove, allowing Poletti to reach second in the commotion. After Poletti took third on a wild pitch, Morrison cranked a double to center that plated her for the unearned score and a 2-0 Penn State advantage.
After both defenses held strong over the next three and a half innings, PSU got things rolling once again at the plate in the sixth. On an 0-2 count, Gordon tore the cover off the softball and sent a solo dinger over the fence in left field to give the Nittany Lions a three-run advantage. Seeking insurance in the top of the seventh, Morrison laid down a pristine bunt and legged out a single, but Rutgers' attempt to cover the PSU bunt attempt sailed erroneously into right field, allowing Morrison time to trot to third base. After Jones drew a walk and stole second, and Garcia logged a walk of her own to juice the bases, Gordon pelted a sac fly to center that brought Morrison around for PSU's final score. Rutgers added a run in the bottom of the seventh and threatened with a bases-loaded opportunity late in the frame, but a calm and collected Nemeth sat the final Scarlet Knight down with a swinging strikeout to close out the 4-1 Nittany Lion victory.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Maddie Gordon | 2-for-3, R, 3 RBI, HR, SF, SB
Kaitlyn Morrison | 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B
Bridget Nemeth | WIN, CG, 7.0 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 8K, 97TP
KEY INNINGS
T1 | Morrison led the game off with a single on an 0-1 count, and Jones followed that up in the next plate appearance with a walk to put runners on first and second. Garcia stepped up moments later and executed a pristine sac bunt. From there, Gordon lifted a bloop single over the second baseman's glove into short right field to drive Morrison in. PSU 1, RUT 0
T2 | With two outs on the board, Poletti lined a hard-hit ball to left that danced out of the fielder's glove, allowing her to reach second in the process. After taking third on a wild pitch, Morrison cranked a double to center that plated Poletti for the unearned score. PSU 2, RUT 0
T6 | On an 0-2 count, Gordon tore the cover off the softball and sent a solo dinger over the fence in left field to give the Nittany Lions a three-run advantage. PSU 3, RUT 0
T7 | With one away, Morrison laid down a pristine bunt and legged out a single, but Rutgers' attempt to cover the PSU bunt attempt sailed erroneously into right field, allowing Morrison time to trot to third base. After Jones drew a walk and stole second, and Garcia logged a walk of her own to juice the bases, Gordon pelted a sac fly to center that brought Morrison around for PSU's final score. PSU 4, RUT 0
B7 | Morgan Smith led the inning off with a double to right field, and a Katie Wingert flyout to right moved Smith to third. After a Megan Herka walk, Payton Lincavage delivered an RBI single to the shortstop to bring Smith around. PSU 4, RUT 1
UP NEXT | UPDATED WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Penn State softball concludes the 2024 regular season on Saturday, May 4, with the Nittany Lions set to take part in a revised doubleheader against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights beginning at Noon (ET) from the Rutgers Softball Complex. In the interest of avoiding incoming inclement weather, the Penn State and Rutgers mutually agreed to cancel Sunday's finale and transition to a doubleheader format Saturday afternoon. Both halves of the season-ending twin bill will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
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