UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Trailing by a 7-3 margin heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Penn State softball rose to the occasion and rattled off an 11-run frame en route to a 14-12 victory over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks Thursday night. The Nittany Lions kicked off the third-annual Penn State Softball Invitational with their first home victory of the 2024 season at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
After Penn State's electrifying night in the batter's box, the Blue & White snapped a five-game losing skid and returned to the win column, rising to 16-6 overall in the 2024 season. The Nittany Lions registered their 36th home-opening win as a program on Thursday, securing their third consecutive home-opening victory under head coach Clarisa Crowell. PSU recorded its first win against Lehigh in program history following the teams' first-ever matchup, with a rematch scheduled for Friday afternoon in Happy Valley. In defeat, the Mountain Hawks drop to 7-11 overall this season.
PSU's offensive onslaught was led by senior second baseman Emily Maddock, who turned in a 3-for-4 night at the dish with a pair of runs scored, an RBI double and a stolen base. Maddock, a native of Kempton, Pennsylvania, booked her fifth multi-hit game of the year and her second appearance with three hits or more. Junior left fielder Maddie Gordon went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs and three RBI, cementing her place as Penn State's leader in multi-hit games with seven so far this year. Senior catcher Gaby Garcia was extremely effective in her plate appearances as well, going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Her two-ribbie double in the bottom of the sixth inning helped break the frame open for PSU, tying the game at 7-all and seizing the momentum for the Nittany Lions.
Overall, the Blue & White were dominant as a squad offensively, booking a .393 overall batting average against Lehigh's pitching staff with six of PSU's 11 hits going for extra bases. The Nittany Lions cracked double figures in the hit column for the sixth time in the 2024 campaign while setting a team season-high in runs scored with 14. Penn State's previous season-high scoring total of 12 runs came against the Penn Quakers in a 12-5 victory back on February 25 in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In the pitcher's circle, all four Nittany Lion arms earned playing time in the back-and-forth battle, with sophomore right-hander Paige Maynard earning credit as the winning pitcher after guiding PSU to the lead in the sixth inning. Junior southpaw Lydia Spalding entered in the top of the seventh to record the final out, booking her first collegiate save after the tying run came to the plate for Lehigh. In total, Penn State's pitchers worked together to earn their 16th win as a staff this season, fanning nine batters while yielding just four walks on the night.
Both teams slowly settled into the contest in the early innings, with neither team placing a runner on base until the top of the third. Lehigh managed to surge ahead in the inning after hitting a grand slam to center, but the Nittany Lions were able to snap back with a pair of runs scored in the bottom of the fourth. The Blue & White continued chipping away at the Lehigh lead thanks to an RBI double from freshman third baseman Brooke Klosowicz in the bottom of the fifth, but Lehigh tallied three more runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-3 lead.
Penn State responded with one of the most dominant offensive innings in recent memory, tallying 11 runs on seven hits and an error in the home half of the frame to take a commanding 14-7 lead. The Blue & White bat through the order, with all nine Nittany Lions managing to reach base in some capacity. After a pair of runs scored in bases-loaded scenarios thanks to an error and a walk, Garcia tied the game with a two-RBI double to right field. A sac fly from Klosowicz gave the Nittany Lions the lead, and the PSU offense continued to pour it on as the inning wore by. In total, Penn State rattled off four extra-base hits in the inning, highlighted by a pair of RBI triples from senior shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison and junior right fielder Haylie Brunson. After PSU let the bats fly in the sixth, Lehigh attempted a comeback with five more runs in the top of the seventh, but the Nittany Lions escaped with an astounding 14-12 home-opening win.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Emily Maddock | 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SB
Maddie Gordon | 2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, SB
Gaby Garcia | 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B
KEY INNINGS
T3 | Sydney Partlett drew a leadoff walk, and Julia Mrochko was hit by a Nittany Lion pitch to place runners at first and second. After Crysta Duenas pinch ran for Partlett at second and Lehigh logged a flyout to left, Gracie Smith singled through the right side to juice the bases. The Mountain Hawks would line out to the shortstop, and a near-miss at a double play allowed Emily Cimino to enter the box and send a grand slam to center. LEH 4, PSU 0
B4 | Morrison led the inning off with a walk, and Maddock singled to right center to place runners on the corners for the Nittany Lions. Maddock promptly stole second, and after a PSU flyout to center, Gordon roped a two-RBI double to left center that plated Morrison and Maddock. LEH 4, PSU 2
B5 | With one out on the board, the Nittany Lions called on Garcia to single through the right side. After Nelson pinch ran for Garcia at first, Klosowicz stepped up with a double to left center that brought Nelson all the way around. LEH 4, PSU 3
T6 | A pair of Mountain Hawks struck out swinging, but Rory Dudley kept the inning alive with a walk. In the next at-bat, Holly Lovett sent a two-run homer over the wall in left. Parlett reached on a fielding error in the next plate appearance, with Maddy Schmeiser coming in to pinch run for her at first. Mrochko doubled to center field in the next opportunity, bringing Schmeiser in for the unearned score. LEH 7, PSU 3
B6 | Maddock kicked off one of the most dominant offensive innings in recent Penn State memory with a single through the right side of the infield. Brunson drew a walk, and after Barbanente pinch ran for Maddock at second, both PSU runners advanced 60 feet on a wild pitch. Gordon walked to load the bases, and a fielding error allowed Poletti to reach first while Barbanente trotted home. Jones drew an RBI walk in the next plate appearance, and after a Lehigh pitching change, Garcia deadlocked the game with a two-RBI double to right field that scored Gordon and Poletti. Klosowicz tallied a sac fly to left that plated Jones, and a Mendoza single brought Garcia home. Mendoza advanced to second on the defense's attempt to halt Garcia's score, leaving one runner on second base. Morrison stepped up to bat and tallied an RBI triple that scored Garcia, completing a full round through the order for the Nittany Lions. Maddock kept the party going with her second hit of the inning, tallying an RBI double to right that scored Morrison. Brunson logged PSU's second RBI triple of the frame, plating Maddock, and Gordon singled to left moments later to bring Brunson in. After re-loading the bases thanks to multiple walks, Klosowicz closed out the 11-run inning with an RBI walk that brought Gordon in to score. PSU 14, LEH 7
T7 | Josie Charles and Cimino booked back-to-back walks, and Brooke Cannon sent a two-RBI double to right center to score them both. After a pair of Lehigh strikeouts, Amanda Greaney doubled to left center to score Cannon, and Mrochko sent a two-run homer to left to bring in the final runs of the night. PSU 14, LEH 12
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its home-opening tournament with a pair of contests on Friday night, March 15, as the Nittany Lions square off against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and Cornell Big Red in a twin-bill beginning at 4 p.m. (ET). The second game of the evening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET). Both contests will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+, with live stats available at the Penn State softball schedule webpage on GoPSUsports.com.
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.
