BOCA RATON, Fla. – Driven by gritty performances in back-to-back contests, the Penn State softball team opened its season with a pair of wins over the Marshall Thundering Herd and FAU Owls on day one of the Paradise Classic Friday evening from Joan Joyce Field. The Nittany Lions opened with a 5-2 win over Marshall and closed the night with a 3-2 victory against host-FAU.
The Blue & White opened their season 2-0 for the second consecutive season, matching PSU's start to the 2023 campaign that featured a 6-1 win over Cleveland State followed by a 5-0 result against North Florida at the UNF-JU Tournament. In defeat, the Thundering Herd moved to 1-3 overall, while the Owls dropped to 1-2 on the year. PSU improved to 4-1 all-time against Marshall, booking its first win over the Herd since 1997, while evening the series with FAU at seven games apiece.
At the plate, the Nittany Lions finished the day with 10 combined hits, including seven hits that went for extra bases. The Blue & White were led on the day by senior catcher Gaby Garcia, who finished both contests batting 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Junior second baseman Maddie Gordon impressed in her offensive opportunities, finishing the day 2-for-5 with two RBI and a pair of extra-base hits. Senior centerfielder Liana Jones teed off on the first Penn State home run of the 2024 campaign, crushing a no-doubter, two-run shot over the centerfield wall in the win over Marshall.
In the circle, the Penn State pitching duo of freshman Bridget Nemeth and junior Mady Volpe made an impressive debut, combining to allow just four hits on the day, striking out 11 batters while walking a trio. Nemeth started the season opener and earned the winning decision in both of Friday evening's contests, while Volpe appeared in relief in game one and booked a save. Volpe finished the day with one earned run and three hits against her, while Nemeth allowed three earned runs and struck out eight with zero walks on the day.
Marshall started things off hot in the top of the first inning, with the Thundering Herd spoiling PSU's start to the season with a two-run frame. Those runs would be the only two surrendered by the Nittany Lion pitching staff and defense, as the Blue & White replied in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs of their own. After another inning and a half of relatively uneventful work, senior third baseman Emily Maddock opened the home half of the third inning with a triple down the right field line. A well-executed sac fly from Gordon put the Nittany Lions ahead by a 3-2 margin. After a quick pop-up to the second baseman, Garcia mustered her second hit of the day with a single to right. With a runner on, Jones blasted PSU's first homer of the year dead-center to clear the bases. Penn State held on defensively the rest of the way and secured a 5-2 victory in the season opener over the Herd.
Penn State started the second game of the day with a dominant showing in the top of the first inning against a rowdy FAU home field environment. Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison tallied her first hit of the season by way of a triple down the right field line. Maddock executed Penn State's second sac fly of the day to bring Morrison in moments later, and Gordon entered the box the next at-bat and doubled to left center. A defensive miscommunication by FAU in left field allowed Jones to reach and advance to second, with Gordon rounding the basepath in the process. Brunson booked an RBI single in her next plate appearance, scoring Jones and giving Penn State an early 3-0 lead. Despite a pair of one-run frames from FAU in the home half of the first and third, the Nittany Lion defense stood tall once again and came away with a tough 3-2 victory in the first true road game of the year.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. MARSHALL)
Gaby Garcia | 2-for-2, 2 RBI, 2B, HBP, 1 R
Liana Jones | 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Bridget Nemeth | 5.0 IP, WIN, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 3K
Mady Volpe | 2.0 IP, SAVE, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 2K
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (AT FAU)
Kaitlyn Morrison | 1-for-3, 3B, 1 R
Haylie Brunson | 1-for-3, RBI
Bridget Nemeth | 5.1 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 5K
KEY INNINGS (VS. MARSHALL)
T1| Sydney Bickel singled up the middle to open the game, and Rielly Lucas' double to left field drove Bickel home. Bella Gerlach singled through the right side to complete Lucas' journey around the basepath, and the Nittany Lions sat the remaining batters down to close the frame. MARSH 2, PSU 0
B1| After a pair of quick Nittany Lion outs, Gordon doubled down the left field line to record PSU's first hit of the 2024 campaign. Nemeth drew a walk in her first collegiate at-bat, and Nelson came in to pinch run for her. Garcia cranked a two-RBI double down the left field line to bring Nelson and Gordon around and get the Blue & White on the board.PSU 2, MARSH 2
B3| Maddock opened the home half of the third inning with a triple down the right field line, and a well-executed sac fly from Gordon put the Blue & White ahead by a 3-2 margin. After a quick pop-up to the second baseman, Garcia mustered her second hit of the day with a single to right. With a pair of runners on, Jones blasted PSU's first homer of the year dead-center to clear the bases. PSU 5, MARSH 2
KEY INNINGS (AT FAU)
T1| Morrison tallied her first hit of the season by way of a triple down the right field line. Maddock executed Penn State's second sac fly of the day to bring Morrison in. Gordon entered the box the next at-bat and doubled to left center, advancing to third after a foul out to second. Defensive miscommunication by the Owls in left field allowed Jones to reach and advance to second, with Gordon rounding the basepath in the process. Brunson booked an RBI single in her next plate appearance, scoring Jones. PSU 3, FAU 0
B2| Zoey Jones hit a home run to deep right field to put the first run on the board for the Owls. PSU 3, FAU 1
B5| Presley Leebrick singled up the middle to open the fifth, but a pair of outs nearly brought the inning to an end. Leebrick stole second, and a single down the left field line by Jesiana Mora brought Leebrick around. PSU 3, FAU 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its weekend stay in South Florida with day two of the Paradise Classic from Joan Joyce Field on the campus of FAU. The Nittany Lions open competition on Saturday, February 10, with an 11:15 a.m. (ET) start against the 16th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks, followed by a 3:45 p.m. (ET) start against the Ohio Bobcats. Both games will stream on FloSoftball, with live stats available at GoPSUsports.com.
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