SALEM, Va. – Highlighted by a pair of home runs and 10 combined hits by seven different Nittany Lions, the Penn State softball team cruised to a solid 6-1 victory over the Keystone State-rival Villanova Wildcats on the final day of the Hokie Invite from the James I. Moyer Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The Blue & White wrapped up the five-game weekend tournament slate with an all-around impressive outing, turning in a trio of wins over the three-day stretch to improve to 8-11 overall through a grueling first 19 games of the 2025 campaign. The Nittany Lions return home to Happy Valley this week, and will christen the team’s 15th season as the lone occupant of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field with the Penn State Softball Invitational, welcoming Canisius, Fairfield and Lafayette to University Park for four combined games. In defeat, Villanova fell to 7-11 following Sunday’s action, with the Blue & White evening the all-time series with the Wildcats in the process at 2-2.
The Nittany Lion offense impressed on the day with 10 combined hits from seven different student-athletes, highlighted by a pair of Penn Staters mustering multi-hit outings. Senior right fielder Haylie Brunson led the way for the Blue & White bats with a trio of knocks, finishing the day 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz remains on an absolute offensive tear, with the Johnsburg, Illinois, native going 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a triple in the win to bring her season-long batting average to .473. Of the five remaining Penn State players with at least one hit on the box score, two individuals stood out with solo home runs, as freshman left fielder Natalie Lieto logged her fourth homer of the season while sophomore first baseman Gianna Poletti cranked the first long ball of her collegiate career. Poletti, a native of Hegins, Pennsylvania, finished the day 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI, as her inaugural home run was accompanied by a sacrifice fly later on in the contest.
Penn State called on a trio of pitchers to battle through Sunday’s showdown with an in-state rival, with senior right-hander Mady Volpe logging the start and tossing 3.0 innings of work. The Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native scattered a pair of hits with one earned run, a walk and three strikeouts in a Sunday afternoon no-decision after failing to meet the minimum. Senior southpaw Lydia Spalding entered in relief of Volpe and logged 1.2 innings with a single hit allowed across 29 pitches, securing the winning decision in the process to improve to 3-0 overall this season. Freshman righty Abigail Britton came in for the final 2.1 frames of action, entering with a one-run lead and a pair of runners aboard in the home half of the fifth. The LaVale, Maryland, native allowed one hit and struck out a trio of Wildcats while yielding zero walks across 35 pitches. Britton was credited with a save for her efforts, bringing her up to three saves on the season, bringing her into a tie for the seventh-most saves in a Nittany Lion career alongside Marisa Hanson and Kelly McCann.
Volpe started the game emphatically with a one-two-three inning in the circle highlighted by a pair of strikeouts to end the first. She impressed yet again with a solid frame in the bottom of the second with a single hit allowed to keep the Wildcats off the board through two. Neither team was able to work its way onto the scoreboard into the third, as Villanova’s Ava Franz hit a solo shot over the fence to put the Wildcats up by one. Seeking a response, Lieto stepped up to the plate in the top of the fourth and clobbered her fourth collegiate homer over the fence in center field to deadlock the score at one run apiece. Success continued for the Blue & White bats in the fifth, as with one away, Poletti headed to the dish and got a hold of the first pitch of her at-bat, lifting the ball over the fence in left center to muster her first collegiate home run.
All was quiet for both teams in the sixth inning, but the Nittany Lions sought insurance tallies in the top of the seventh inning to put Sunday’s matinee on ice. After a popup put an out on the board, Nelson laid down an ideal bunt and legged out a single to spark the Nittany Lion offense in the home half of the seventh. Walters kept the inning rolling with a bunt single of her own, and in the chaos of attempting to corral the ball, Nelson made her way to third to place runners on the corners. Walters promptly stole second base, and Poletti stepped up and lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Nelson in. A double to left center from Brunson in the next at-bat plated Walters, and a triple from Klosowicz allowed Brunson time to reach home. While attempting to throw Klosowicz out at third, the Wildcat left fielder made an erroneous throw that allowed the Nittany Lion to trot home to close out the four-run insurance inning.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Haylie Brunson | 3-for-4, R, RBI, 2 2B
Gianna Poletti | 1-for-2, R, 2 RBI, FIRST COLLEGIATE HR, SF
Lydia Spalding | 1.2 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 0K, 29TP, WIN
Abigail Britton | 2.1 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K, 35TP, SAVE
KEY INNINGS
B3 | After the defense worked for a pair of outs to open the home half of the third, Ava Franz hit a home run to left center to give the Wildcats an early one-run lead. NOVA 1, PSU 0
T4 | Following a quality 10-pitch at-bat that saw Gordon pop up to the shortstop, Lieto stepped up to the plate and clobbered her fourth collegiate homer over the fence in center field to deadlock the score at one run apiece. PSU 1, NOVA 1
T5 | With one away for the Nittany Lion offense, Poletti headed to the dish and got a hold of the first pitch of her at-bat, lifting the ball over the fence in left center to muster her first collegiate home run. PSU 2, NOVA 1
T7 | After a popup put an out on the board, Nelson laid down an ideal bunt and legged out a single to spark the Nittany Lion offense in the home half of the seventh. Walters kept the inning rolling with a bunt single of her own, and in the chaos of attempting to corral the ball, Nelson made her way to third to place runners on the corners. Walters promptly stole second base, and Poletti stepped up and lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Nelson in. A double to left center from Brunson in the next at-bat plated Walters, and a triple from Klosowicz allowed Brunson time to reach home. While attempting to throw Klosowicz out at third, the Wildcat left fielder made an erroneous throw that allowed the Nittany Lion to trot home to close out the four-run insurance inning. PSU 6, NOVA 1
UP NEXT
Penn State softball returns to Happy Valley to open the home portion of its 2025 slate, as the Nittany Lions get set to host the Penn State Softball Invitational from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field on the weekend of Friday through Sunday, March 7 through 9. The field includes a trio of challengers from across the American northeast, with Canisius Fairfield and Lafayette set to join the Nittany Lions over the weekend. All games of the tournament will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
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