SALEM, Va. – Penn State softball battled tough with a pair of Virginia-based opponents on Saturday afternoon but ultimately came up short in both halves of a twin-bill against the James Madison Dukes and 15th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies from the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. The Nittany Lions dropped their third game of the Hokie Invite to JMU, 4-1, before falling in 6-3 fashion to the nationally ranked Hokies.
Following both of Saturday afternoon’s results, the Nittany Lions move to 7-11 overall through the first 18 games of the non-conference calendar while moving to an even 2-2 at the Hokie Invite with one game outstanding. James Madison moved closer to .500 by booking their fourth-straight win while improving to 6-7 overall on the young season, while the Hokies rose to 15-4 overall after their win in the nightcap. The Dukes extended their lead in the all-time series to 4-2 overall following the sixth all-time meeting, while Virginia Tech rises to 4-3 after the seventh meeting of the two teams since 2012.
Penn State was once again highlighted offensively by the pairing of sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz and senior third baseman Maddie Gordon, who were the only two Penn Staters to record a pair of hits on the day in six at-bats. Klosowicz extended her reached-base streak to 17 consecutive games after recording a hit apiece against the Dukes and Hokies, while Gordon mustered her fifth home run of the season with a solo shot against Virginia Tech. Five other Nittany Lions battled their way onto the box score with hits across both halves of the doubleheader, highlighted by home runs from senior right fielder Haylie Brunson and freshman left fielder Natalie Lieto.
In the pitcher’s circle, Penn State saw a pair of Nittany Lions combine for all 13 innings pitched on the day. Senior right-hander Mady Volpe earned both starts against PSU’s Virginian competitors, finishing the day with 8.0 innings pitched while being saddled with both bad-luck losses after scattering eight hits with six earned runs across both contests. Freshman right-hander Abigail Britton entered in relief of Volpe in both games, logging 5.0 innings of effort while scattering a quintet of knocks with four runs and three earned. Both Penn State pitchers combined for a .271 opponent batting average allowed on the day.
All was quiet until the top half of the third inning for the Dukes, as Abbie Campbell sent a single into right field with one out on the board. Cali Legzdin stepped up and delivered a sacrifice bunt, and Payton List sent a home run over the left field fence to give James Madison a two-run lead. The Dukes would tack on two more runs via a pair of solo shots in the top of the sixth inning to take a four-run advantage, but the Nittany Lions refused to go down without a fight. Lieto stepped up to the dish and took the first two pitches of her at-bat to work a 1-1 count. Waiting patiently for her pitch, the rookie outfielder clobbered the softball over the fence in left field to attempt a Nittany Lion rally. Unfortunately, Lieto’s homer would mark the only run for the Blue & White as James Madison came away with the 4-1 result.
Penn State promptly returned to the diamond for a much-anticipated matchup against Virginia Tech, with head coach Clarisa Crowell facing off against her alma mater for the first time since arriving in Happy Valley in 2021. The Hokies opened action in the home half of the first with three runs on a shot to center, but the Blue & White quickly regrouped to keep VT off the board in the second. Nelson started the comeback attempt for PSU in the top of the third, mustering a single down the left field line on a 1-2 count to embolden the Nittany Lion bats. A fielder’s choice saw Walters take over at first while Nelson was thrown out at second, but the new Penn State runner quickly capitalized with a stolen base to reach scoring position. A PSU strikeout put two away, but Brunson stepped into the box looking for an opportunity to silence the VT faithful. On a 2-2 count, she launched a hard-hit fly ball into the Virginia sunset that brought the Nittany Lions within one run of the lead. Gordon was able to tie things up with a solo shot of her own as the leadoff hitter in the top of the fourth, but a quick reply from the Hokies in the fourth followed by two more runs in the home half of the fifth culminated in the 6-3 win for Virginia Tech to close the day out.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. JAMES MADISON)
Natalie Lieto | 1-for-3, R, RBI, HR
Brooke Klosowicz | 1-for-3, 2B
Abigail Britton | 3.0 IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 0K, 38TP
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. VIRGINIA TECH)
Haylie Brunson | 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
Maddie Gordon | 1-for-3, R, RBI, HR
Abigail Britton | 2.0 IP, 2H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 0K, 23TP
KEY INNINGS (VS. JAMES MADISON)
T3 | With one out on the scoreboard following a Duke groundout, Abbie Campbell sent a single into right field. Cali Legzdin stepped up and delivered a sacrifice bunt, and Payton List sent a home run over the left field fence to give James Madison a two-run lead. JMU 2, PSU 0
T6 | Legzdin led the top half of the sixth inning off with a homer to right center on an 0-2 count, but a grounder moments later put an out on the scoreboard. After taking the first pitch of her at-bat for a ball, Reed Butler left the yard with a homer to left center to close out JMU’s scoring. JMU 4, PSU 0
B7 | Lieto stepped up to the dish and took the first two pitches of her at-bat to work a 1-1 count. Waiting patiently for her pitch, the rookie outfielder clobbered the softball over the fence in left field. JMU 4, PSU 1
KEY INNINGS (VS. VIRGINIA TECH)
B1 | Virginia Tech opened the home half of the first with a groundout, but Jayden Jones sparked the Hokie offense with a walk on six pitches to place a runner on. A flyout put two away, but Bre Peck kept the frame alive and saw runners on the right side of the infield after drawing a walk. Cleanup hitter Michelle Chatfield put the Hokies out in front in the next at-bat with a three-run homer over the fence in center. VT 3, PSU 0
T3 | Nelson started the comeback attempt for PSU in the top of the third, mustering a single down the left field line on a 1-2 count to embolden the Nittany Lion bats. A fielder’s choice saw Walters take over at first while Nelson was thrown out at second, but the new Penn State runner quickly capitalized with a stolen base to reach scoring position. A PSU strikeout put two away, but Brunson stepped into the box looking for an opportunity to silence the VT faithful. On a 2-2 count, she launched a hard-hit fly ball into the Virginia sunset that brought the Nittany Lions within one run of the lead. VT 3, PSU 2
T4 | As the leadoff hitter for the Nittany Lions in the top half of the fourth, Gordon stepped up to the plate and left the yard with a dominant dinger over the right field fence that deadlocked the contest. PSU 3, VT 3
B4 | With one away in the home half of the fourth, Jordan Lynch gave Virginia Tech the lead back with a solo homer over the right field fence. VT 4, PSU 3
B5 | Leadoff hitter Cori McMillan drew a walk on five pitches following a Nittany Lion pitching change, but a fielder’s choice saw McMillan put out while Jones took over at first. A flyer put two away, but a double to center from Peck gave Jones ample time to complete her journey home. In the next at-bat, Chatfield put a ball in play that the Nittany Lion first baseman failed to corral, resulting in a fielding error that saw the ball kick into the outfield. Peck was able to complete her journey home in the commotion, resulting in an unearned tally. VT 6, PSU 3
UP NEXT
Penn State softball closes out its weekend in Western Virginia tomorrow, Sunday, March 2, as the Nittany Lions prepare to take on the Keystone State rival Villanova Wildcats on the final day of the Hokie Invite from the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia. The game has been rescheduled to 1 p.m. (ET) due to temperature concerns related to the real-feel temperature regulations as administered by Virginia Tech. Fans are encouraged to watch live via a live stream provided by the Moyer Sports Complex on MuscoVision or follow along with live statistics and updates via StatBroadcast and the Penn State softball social media channels.
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