CLEARWATER, Fla. – Despite a two-run frame in the fourth to cut into the deficit and some quality offensive chances down the stretch, Penn State softball dropped a 4-2 decision to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the team’s NFCA Leadoff Classic finale from the Eddie C. Moore Complex Sunday.
Following the team’s last outing of the weekend in Clearwater, Penn State drops to 1-4 overall on the 2025 campaign and will look to bounce back in the Tampa area next week in a tournament hosted by USF. With the win, Notre Dame improves to 2-3 overall through opening weekend, with the Fighting Irish taking their last pair of contests against No. 7 Duke and Penn State. In the all-time series between the two programs, Notre Dame improved to 4-2 against the Blue & White, with all six meetings coming in neutral site competition.
Freshman right fielder Natalie Lieto stole the show for the Nittany Lions at the dish on Sunday morning, having a productive 2-for-2 day of hitting with a two-RBI double and a walk bolstering her final line. A native of Masuk, Connecticut, Lieto paces all Penn Staters in batting average through the first weekend of the season, hitting at a blistering .714 rate with a 5-for-7 line on the weekend that included a pair of extra-base knocks. Elsewhere in the lineup, sophomore third baseman Brooke Klosowicz and senior outfielder Haylie Brunson both booked hits and runs scored in the game to close out their weekends of work on the offensive side of the ball.
In the circle, freshman right-hander Abigail Britton logged her third collegiate start and tossed a pair of innings, while senior northpaw Mady Volpe went the rest of the way for the Nittany Lions. The Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native Volpe went 4.0 innings with just three hits and a single earned run allowed, finishing the weekend with a Penn State-leading 17.2 innings pitched and an eye-popping 0.40 ERA against some of the nation’s top competition. On the defensive side of things, sophomore outfielder Michela Barbanente impressed with a six-putout day to finish tied for the team’s lead in the statistic on Sunday alongside fifth-year infielder Meagan Ricks.
In the top of the first inning, Emily Tran got things going for the Fighting Irish with a single up the middle, and a ball in play from Caroline O’Brien allowed for a fielder’s choice with both batters safe on the right corner of the infield. Addison Amaral mustered an RBI single to left center that plated Tran while keeping runners on first and second, and Kaia Cortes logged an RBI single up the middle that plated O’Brien. Leading 2-0, Notre Dame tacked on two more as Cortes started the home half of the third off with a double to center, and after a grounder put one away while pushing Cortes to third, Paige Cowley delivered a sac fly to left field to bring Notre Dame’s third run of the game aboard. Rebecca Eckart and Anna Holloway kept the frame going with back-to-back walks, and Avery Houlihan took over for Eckart at second. Houlihan advanced to third via a passed ball, and a single toward the second baseman from Mickey Winchell brought Houlihan in for the unearned tally.
Looking for an instant reply on the offensive end, Klosowicz continued her hot weekend at the dish with a single toward the Fighting Irish pitcher, and a hit-by-pitch drawn by Brunson placed runners on the right side of the infield. A perfectly executed sac bunt down the first base line by freshman catcher Macy Chamberlin set the stage for Lieto, who entered the box and clobbered a double that brought both Brunson and Klosowicz around to score. With the Nittany Lions pulling within two, PSU called on a brilliant defensive morning of effort from Volpe to keep the Fighting Irish offense at bay, with the right-handed pitcher logging a pair of assists on the box score. Barbanente helped spark the defense as PSU held Notre Dame off the board the rest of the way, but Penn State was ultimately unable to overcome the early Fighting Irish lead as they dropped the tournament finale by a 4-2 tally.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Natalie Lieto | 2-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI
Haylie Brunson | 1-for-2, 2B
Mady Volpe | 4.0 IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 3BB, 0K, 60TP
KEY INNINGS
B1 | Emily Tran got things going for the Fighting Irish with a single up the middle, and a ball in play from Caroline O’Brien allowed for a fielder’s choice with both batters safe on the right corner of the infield. Addison Amaral mustered an RBI single to left center that plated Tran while keeping runners on first and second, and Kaia Cortes logged an RBI single up the middle that plated O’Brien. ND 2, PSU 0
B3 | Cortes started the home half of the third off with a double to center, and after a grounder put one away while pushing Cortes to third, Paige Cowley delivered a sac fly to left field to bring Notre Dame’s third run of the game aboard. Rebecca Eckart and Anna Holloway kept the frame going with back-to-back walks, and Avery Houlihan took over for Eckart at second. Houlihan advanced to third via a passed ball, and a single toward the second baseman from Mickey Winchell brought Houlihan in for the unearned tally. ND 4, PSU 0
T4 | Klosowicz continued her hot weekend at the dish with a single toward the Fighting Irish pitcher, and a hit-by-pitch drawn by Brunson placed runners on the right side of the infield. A perfectly executed sac bunt down the first base line by Chamberlin set the stage for Lieto, who entered the box and clobbered a double that brought both Brunson and Klosowicz around to score. ND 4, PSU 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball returns to the Sunshine State and the Tampa metro area in less than one week’s time, as the Nittany Lions prepare to take part in The Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF hosted by the University of South Florida at the USF Softball Stadium. The tournament will feature round-robin play against St. John’s, USF and Loyola Chicago with semifinals and a final to round out the five-game slate the weekend of Friday through Sunday, February 14-16. PSU’s game against the tournament-host Bulls will air live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+. All remaining games will not be streamed, but live stats will be available via links on the Penn State softball schedule webpage.
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