UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sparked by a pair of home runs from junior catcher Madison Seidel, and an additional homer from junior center fielder Jenna Nelson, the Penn State softball team cruised to a dominant 15-3 victory over the Saint Francis Red Flash in five innings of play on Wednesday night from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
The Blue & White made history on the evening, scoring 15 runs for the second straight game to mark the first instance of consecutive 15-run performances in program history. Penn State defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights by a 15-11 differential on Saturday, April 5, to pave the way for history on Wednesday. PSU additionally surpassed 12-or-more runs in consecutive games for the second time this season, with this week’s performances joining back-to-back 12 and 23-run performances during the Penn State Softball Invitational against Canisius and Fairfield on March 7. Prior to the 2025 season, the Nittany Lions last booked 12 runs or more in back-to-back games on April 8 and 9, 2016, in 13 and 15-run performances a Big Ten Conference weekend series against Indiana.
Seidel, a native of Hilltown, Pennsylvania, cemented her place in the Penn State record book on Wednesday evening, matching the program’s single-game home run record with a pair of long balls against the Red Flash. The junior catcher finished her most impressive night of individual production with a 2-for-3 final line that included six runs batted in, putting Seidel in a tie for third place all-time in the PSU record book alongside current teammates Maddie Gordon, Michela Barbanente and Haylie Brunson, as well as three more program alumnae in Karlie Habitz, Cassidy Bell and Macy Jones. Seidel is up to three home runs, both in the 2025 season and in her collegiate career, with the Nittany Lion also becoming the fourth student-athlete on the roster to secure a multi-homer performance.
PSU’s season home run tally moved to 57 on Wednesday night, with the Blue & White extending the program’s single season record thanks to a pair of dingers from Seidel and a shot from Nelson. A native of Swedesboro, New Jersey, Nelson was able to book her third home run of 2025 in a 2-for-3 overall performance that was highlighted by her two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Senior third baseman Maddie Gordon and freshman left fielder Natalie Lieto both secured multi-hit outings against the Red Flash, while sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz extended her nation’s-best doubles tally to 18 with a bases-clearing double in the home half of the opening frame to place her in a tie for the program-record in the statistic. Klosowicz now stands atop the PSU doubles leaderboard alongside program legends Kaitlyn Morrison, Ally Kurland, Danielle Kinley and Jen Acunto with 18 two-baggers.
The Penn State pitching staff provided the game with an impressive flourish in the circle, as PSU called on three different student-athletes to throw five combined innings and a mere 65 total pitches. Senior right-hander Mady Volpe secured her 19th start of the 2025 campaign and went through the first 2.0 frames, scattering a pair of hits with a single earned run and a strikeout to her credit. Sophomore right-hander Jiselle Hernandez tossed a pair of innings and booked her fourth win of the year after allowing a single earned run while adding a strikeout. Freshman righty Abigail Britton finished things out in the fifth inning, booking a walk and strikeout while shutting the Red Flash down.
Despite the Red Flash putting a straight number on the scoreboard in the visitor’s half of the first, PSU replied with an emphatic nine-run reply to take immediate control of the contest. Back-to-back walks placed Ricks and Walters on the right side of the infield, with both players taking 60 more feet on a Red Flash passed ball. A fielding error by the SFU shortstop allowed Brunson to take over at first base while sending Ricks home and Walters to third, with Brunson swiping second base moments later to keep a pair of runners in scoring position. From there, Klosowicz cleared the bases with her 18th double of the season, and after a Saint Francis pitching change, Gordon singled and advanced on the throw while Klosowicz moved to third. A two-RBI single and advancement to second on the throw by Barbanente kept the scoring coming, and after some solid plate discipline and baserunning, PSU saw Barbanente and Lieto on the left side of the basepath. An RBI-grounder for Seidel bumped Lieto to third and plated Barbanente, and Nelson stepped up to the dish moments later and clobbered a two-run shot over the fence in left field. Ricks kept the inning alive with a bunt single down the third base line, and Walters drew a walk to place runners on the right side once again. Brunson loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice that SFU’s defense failed to make a play on, and Klosowicz put a ball in play that resulted in a fielder’s choice and 6-4 putout at second while Ricks came in to score.
Penn State extended its lead in the second, as with one out on the scoreboard, Lieto worked an infield single toward the second baseman to spark another key offensive frame for the Blue & White. Seidel stepped up to the dish for her second at-bat of the game and went opposite-field for her first homer of the contest, zipping the ball over the fence in right field. After a pair of outs popped onto the scoreboard to open the home half of the third, Gordon sparked a two-out rally with a single to left field and advanced to second after a Barbanente walk. A Red Flash passed ball allowed both runners to move into scoring position, and a single to the shortstop from Lieto plated Gordon while Barbanente stayed put at third base. With runners on the corners, Lieto elected to steal second base, and Seidel made the previous stolen base moot with her second opposite-field home run of the game to provide PSU with a 15-1 advantage. The Red Flash booked a pair of scores in the top of the fourth, but the Nittany Lion defense and pitching staff buckled down to secure the run-rule win by a 15-3 margin in five innings.
Following Wednesday night’s midweek win over the Red Flash in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions moved one game above .500 for the second time in the 2025 campaign, rising to 19-18 and 14-13 against non-conference challengers this season. In the 49th all-time meeting between Saint Francis and Penn State, the Nittany Lions secured their 40th victory and improved to 40-9 since the first contest between the two programs in 1990. PSU is currently riding a five-game win streak against the Red Flash since head coach Clarisa Crowell took over in Happy Valley in the 2021 season. In defeat, SFU dropped to 14-21 overall and will carry their 7-5 conference record into another Northeast Conference series against the FDU Knights this weekend in Loretto.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Madison Seidel | 2-for-3, 2 R, 6 RBI, SINGLE-GAME PROGRAM RECORD-TYING 2 HR
Jenna Nelson | 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
Natalie Lieto | 2-for-2, 3 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB
Mady Volpe | 2.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K, 18TP, NO DECISION
KEY INNINGS
T1| Savannah Nash started the game off with a single through the left side of the infield and AB Cipalla executed a 3-4 sacrifice bunt to bump her 60 feet further. A productive groundout from Addie Smith advanced Nash to third base, and an RBI double to center by Olivia Ulam marked the first tally of the ballgame. SFU 1, PSU 0
B1 | Back-to-back walks placed Ricks and Walters on the right side of the infield, with both players taking 60 more feet on a Red Flash passed ball. A fielding error by the SFU shortstop allowed Brunson to take over at first base while sending Ricks home and Walters to third, with Brunson swiping second base moments later to keep a pair of runners in scoring position. From there, Klosowicz cleared the bases with her 18th double of the season, and after a Saint Francis pitching change, Gordon singled and advanced on the throw while Klosowicz moved to third. A two-RBI single and advancement to second on the throw by Barbanente kept the scoring coming, and after some solid plate discipline and baserunning, PSU saw Barbanente and Lieto on the left side of the basepath. An RBI-grounder for Seidel bumped Lieto to third and plated Barbanente, and Nelson stepped up to the dish moments later and clobbered a two-run shot over the fence in left field. Ricks kept the inning alive with a bunt single down the third base line, and Walters drew a walk to place runners on the right side once again. Brunson loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice that SFU’s defense failed to make a play on, and Klosowicz put a ball in play that resulted in a fielder’s choice and 6-4 putout at second while Ricks came in to score. PSU 9, SFU 1
B2 | With one out on the scoreboard, Lieto worked an infield single toward the second baseman to spark another key offensive frame for the Blue & White. Seidel stepped up to the dish for her second at-bat of the game and went opposite-field for her first homer of the contest, zipping the ball over the fence in right field. PSU 11, SFU 1
B3 | After a pair of outs popped onto the scoreboard to open the inning, Gordon sparked a two-out rally with a single to left field and advanced to second after a Barbanente walk. A Red Flash passed ball allowed both runners to move into scoring position, and a single to the shortstop from Lieto plated Gordon while Barbanente stayed put at third base. With runners on the corners, Lieto elected to steal second base, and Seidel made the previous stolen base moot with her second opposite-field home run of the game to provide PSU with a 15-1 advantage. PSU 15, SFU 1
T4 | Following a flyout to right, Ulam delivered a first-pitch single to right field and advanced to second after a PSU fielding error allowed Sofia Zielinski to take over at first. Another Saint Francis student-athlete popped out to put two away, but a bases-clearing double by Olivia Kolowitz plated a pair of late-game tallies for the Red Flash. PSU 15, SFU 3
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its nine-game stretch of performances at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field this weekend, with the Blue & White returning to Big Ten Conference play against the 22nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Action will run Friday through Sunday, April 11 through 13, with games slated for 5 p.m., 2 p.m., and Noon (ET), respectively. All three games in the weekend set will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
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