TAMPA, Fla. – Penn State softball battled tough in the circle and had chances late in the game, but the Nittany Lions ultimately dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to the USF Bulls on the final day of The Fonseca Memorial Tournament from the USF Softball Stadium on Sunday.
Following the weekend finale in South Florida, Penn State dropped to 3-7 overall through its first 10 fixtures of the 2025 campaign. The Blue & White will look to bounce back with another road weekend in non-conference competition, with PSU traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take part in the LSU Invitational hosted by the No. 7 LSU Tigers, in addition to the Nicholls Colonels and Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Following an unbeaten 5-0 weekend in their home tournament, South Florida improves to 10-2 overall and rises to 20-8 against the Nittany Lions in an all-time series that dates to 1985.
The Nittany Lion pitching staff was the headline of the day for the Blue & White, with a trio of Penn Staters seeing 2.0 innings of work in the circle apiece. Senior southpaw Lydia Spalding started things off for PSU with a pair of shutout frames, allowing a single hit from the Bulls’ lineup while surrendering a single free base against one strikeout. Senior right-hander Mady Volpe came in for another two innings and worked through the full USF order, scattering three hits with a single earned run, one walk and one strikeout while being saddled with the bad-luck loss. Freshman righty Abigail Britton came in to close things out, cementing a solid weekend of effort in the circle with two frames of one-hit, scoreless softball with a walk and two K’s across 30 total pitches.
On a day where hits were hard to come by for the Nittany Lions, a pair of Penn Staters worked their way onto the scoresheet to amass PSU’s pair of hits on the afternoon. In addition to a highlight-reel defensive play in left field to keep USF off the board in the early going, freshman left fielder Natalie Lieto started the day off with a hit in her first at-bat to jumpstart Penn State’s day in the box. The Monroe, Connecticut, native extended her hitting streak to three-straight games to close the weekend tournament, finishing 1-for-3 with a single to her credit. Additionally, senior designated player Maddie Gordon worked her way onto the box score, delivering a much-needed single for PSU in the top of the fifth frame.
Sunday’s action started off strong in the top of the first, with Lieto delivering a one-out single through the left side of the infield to kickstart Penn State’s battle with the Bulls. A pair of outs followed Lieto’s single, keeping the board clean through the top of the first. Spalding’s efforts in the circle helped the Blue & White work their way through the entire USF batting order in the first and second innings, paving the way for Volpe to take over the next time through. Volpe battled through the third with one hit allowed, but USF was able to scratch a run across in the fourth. Alanah Rivera started things off for the Bulls with a double to left center on an 0-1 count. Camille Ortiz-Martinez drew a walk in the next plate appearance, placing runners on the right side of the infield. A sacrifice bunt bumped both Bulls 60 feet closer to home, and despite a popup putting two away for the USF offense, a single up the middle by Kathy Garcia-Soto plated Rivera for what proved to be the game-winning run.
The Blue & White attempted an immediate response in the visitor’s half of the fifth, with Gordon notching a single through the left side to spark a Nittany Lion rally. On a lightning-quick steal attempt, the Bulls erroneously overthrew the shortstop trying to keep Gordon at bay, allowing the Penn Stater time to trot to third. With the commotion ultimately reaching the outfield, Gordon attempted to take the final 60 feet, but the USF right fielder was able to deliver a ball to the second baseman, who was able to make the final throw home to retire Gordon’s trip on the diamond. Despite a pair of lights-out innings in the pitcher’s circle from Britton, the Nittany Lions were unable to overcome the one-run deficit and left Tampa with a tough 1-0 defeat against the Bulls.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Natalie Lieto | 1-for-3, 1B
Maddie Gordon | 1-for-2, 1B
Lydia Spalding | 2.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K, 30TP
Abigail Britton | 2.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K, 30TP
KEY INNINGS
B4 | Alanah Rivera started things off for the Bulls in the home half of the fourth with a double to left center on an 0-1 count. Camille Ortiz-Martinez drew a walk in the next plate appearance, placing runners on the right side of the infield. A sacrifice bunt bumped both Bulls 60 feet closer to home, and despite a popup putting two away for the USF offense, a single up the middle by Kathy Garcia-Soto plated Rivera for the game-winning run. USF 1, PSU 0
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its season-opening travels in non-conference tournament action, as the Nittany Lions head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take part in the LSU Invitational the weekend of Friday through Sunday, February 21 through 23. The Nittany Lions will participate in five combined games against the No. 7 LSU Tigers, the Nicholls Colonels and Southern Miss Golden Eagles from Tiger Park, with PSU’s contest at LSU scheduled to stream live via SEC Network+.
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