UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Powered by a third-inning grand slam from fifth-year first baseman Meagan Ricks and a dominant performance in the circle from freshman right-handed pitcher Abigail Britton, the Penn State softball team rolled to a crushing 11-2, run-rule upset victory over the 22nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to deadlock the weekend series on Saturday afternoon from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
The Nittany Lions booked their first victory over an opponent ranked in the NFCA/GoRout Division I Coaches Poll in the 2025 campaign. Penn State also experienced the team’s first win over a ranked challenger since toppling then-No. 16 Arkansas by a 3-2 differential in eight innings of action during the Paradise Classic on February 10, 2024, from Boca Raton, Florida. The result also stands as the only Nittany Lion victory over a nationally ranked opponent via the run rule in program history according to Penn State’s available records. PSU’s dominant nine-run differential is the largest win over Ohio State in the all-time series history, dating back to the 1975 campaign. The next-closest run differential for PSU in a win over the Buckeyes came in an eight-run, 10-2 victory over OSU on the road in Columbus on May 11, 2011.
Ricks, a native of Winter Haven, Florida, was virtuosic in her performance on Saturday against the Buckeyes, reaching base in all three of her plate appearances while utilizing her only official at-bat of the game to crush a grand slam to right field. Her stat line in the second game of the weekend reads 1-for-1 with three runs scored, four runs batted in on the grand slam, a walk, hit-by-pitch and stolen base to round out one of the most impressive individual performances in recent memory at Beard Field. Sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz continued her reign of dominance as one of two Nittany Lions with multiple-hit games in the weekend’s second opportunity, with the Johnsburg, Illinois, native finishing the day 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a three-RBI homer in the bottom of the fourth that put the Blue & White past the threshold of the run rule.
Senior right fielder Haylie Brunson played a pivotal role in swinging the momentum back in Penn State’s favor after a quick start by the Buckeye bats. The Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, native seized command of the game back with a solo shot to left center in the home half of the first to awaken the Happy Valley home crowd. Brunson finished the day 1-for-2 with a trio of runs scored and a walk to her credit. Elsewhere in the lineup, sophomore shortstop Kaylie Walters turned in the only other PSU multi-hit performance with a 2-for-2 stat line that included a double and pair of runs scored, while senior third baseman Maddie Gordon rounded out the seven-hit game for Penn State with a 1-for-3 finish that included an RBI single and run scored on the Ricks grand slam.
On the day, the Penn State offense performed at an elite level, hitting .368 as a team while the Blue & White pitching staff limited the potent Buckeye attack to a paltry .222 finish with just four hits scattered. The Nittany Lions continue to improve upon their single-season program record home run total, adding a trio of long balls to bring their record-shattering season tally up to 61 since opening day back in February. PSU’s three home runs in the contest matched a Big Ten single-game season high, with PSU cranking three home runs against a B1G competitor for the third time in 2025. The Nittany Lions blasted three against Indiana in a raucous 14-13 win on the road in Bloomington on March 21 and added three in their sweep-securing 15-11 battle with Rutgers in Happy Valley on April 5.
Britton, a native of LaVale, Maryland, put together one of her most complete pitching performances of the season in a pivotal spot against one of the nation’s most highly touted offensive units. The rookie righty went 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and a pair of earned runs across 78 total pitches. Britton surrendered a single walk and fanned a pair en route to her sixth collegiate victory, improving to 6-8 individually after Saturday’s showdown with the Buckeyes. Senior right-hander Mady Volpe entered to get the last out in the top of the fifth, yielding a walk and a groundout that closed the book on a season-defining Saturday win. Behind PSU’s pair of pitchers, the Nittany Lion defense played an error-free contest for the 15th time in 2025, with the Blue & White rising to 8-7 when accomplishing that defensive feat this season.
Ohio State’s bats got the better of the Blue & White in the top of the first, with a pair of solo shots giving the Buckeyes an early 2-0 advantage through the first half-frame. Seeking an immediate response in the home half, Brunson stepped up to the plate with one out on the board and dismantled the first pitch of her at-bat over the fence in left center field to bring the Blue & White back within one. A one-two-three inning from Britton set the tone for the PSU bats once again in the second, where Ricks opened things up with a hit-by-pitch. After a Nittany Lion struck out in the next at-bat, the PSU runner elected to steal second base. Ohio State’s shortstop failed to properly field the catcher’s throw, allowing Ricks to reach third on the error. From there, Seidel lifted the fifth pitch of her at-bat into right field for a sacrifice fly that brought Ricks in to tie the game.
Another world-class half-inning from Britton paved the way for a game-breaking bottom of the third, where Walters led things off with a bunt single down the first base line, with Walters moving to second on a productive groundout moments later. Brunson drew a walk on four pitches, and Klosowicz zipped a hard-hit ball toward the Buckeye third baseman for a single that juiced the bases. Gordon placed a single of her own into left field to bring a Nittany Lion run aboard just before the Buckeyes underwent a pitching change. Undeterred by Ohio State’s reliever, Ricks flattened the softball on the first pitch of her at-bat, sending a grand slam homer over the fence in right field to give PSU droves of momentum heading into the fourth.
An inning-ending strikeout from Britton had the Blue & White smelling blood in the water. Walters led things off for Penn State in the second-straight inning, lifting a double to left center field. A fly ball to right put one away, but Brunson was able to reach on a fielder’s choice to the Buckeye shortstop, who failed to make a play to either first or second base in time. After working a quick 2-0 count, Klosowicz slammed the door on any Buckeye hopes to come back, putting Penn State in run-rule territory with a three-run bomb to left center field. A strikeout put two away, but Ricks kept the frame alive with a walk on six pitches. She took second base on a wild Buckeye offering and appeared to trot to third on a passed ball, but an obstruction call gave the Nittany Lion leeway to continue her path to the plate, where she crossed home thanks to a dropped-ball error on the OSU catcher that finalized the nine-run Nittany Lion edge. Britton and Volpe shut Ohio State down in the top of the fifth, and Penn State came away with its first ranked win of 2025 with a run-rule clobbering of the 22nd-ranked Buckeyes.
Following Saturday’s dominant showing against Ohio State, Penn State picked up its 20th win of the season and improved to 20-19 overall while moving back to .500 against Big Ten Conference competitors with a 6-6 mark through 12 opportunities. The Blue & White will look to rise above .500 in B1G action for the first time this season in Sunday’s rubber match from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. In defeat, Ohio State dropped to 32-10-1 overall with a 7-5 Big Ten ledger heading into Sunday’s finale. Following the 101st meeting in the all-time series, Penn State secured its 36th victory to improve to 36-65 since the inaugural fixture in 1975. The Nittany Lions will look to take two games in a series against the Buckeyes for the first time since April 15, 2015, when PSU booked a doubleheader sweep of OSU in University Park.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Meagan Ricks | 1-for-1, 3 R, 4 RBI, GRAND SLAM HR, BB, HBP, SB
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR
Haylie Brunson | 1-for-2, 3 R, RBI, HR, BB
Abigail Britton | 4.2 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 2K, 78TP, WIN
KEY INNINGS
T1 | After working a 3-1 count in the opening at-bat of the game, leadoff hitter Hadley Parisien lifted her fifth pitch over the fence in left center to give the Buckeyes an early one-run advantage. A strikeout and fly ball to center put two away, but Jasmyn Burns was able to add another tally via solo homer to right to close out the two-run frame. OSU 2, PSU 0
B1 | Following an early groundout that put one down for the Nittany Lion bats, Brunson stepped up to the plate and dismantled the first pitch of her at-bat over the fence in left center field to bring the Blue & White back within one. OSU 2, PSU 1
B2 | Ricks opened the home half of the second with a hit-by-pitch, and after a Nittany Lion struck out in the next at-bat, the PSU runner elected to steal second base. Ohio State’s shortstop failed to properly field the catcher’s throw, allowing Ricks to reach third on the error. From there, Seidel lifted the fifth pitch of her at-bat into right field for a sacrifice fly that brought Ricks in to tie the game. PSU 2, OSU 2
B3 | Walters led off the bottom of the third inning with a perfectly placed bunt single down the first base line, and a productive groundout bumped the PSU runner to second base. Brunson drew a walk on four pitches, and Klosowicz zipped a hard-hit ball toward the Buckeye third baseman for a single that juiced the bases. Gordon placed a single into left field to bring a Nittany Lion run aboard just before the Buckeyes underwent a pitching change. Undeterred by Ohio State’s reliever, Ricks flattened the softball on the first pitch of her at-bat, sending a grand slam homer over the fence in right field to give PSU droves of momentum. PSU 7, OSU 2
B4 | Walters led things off for the Blue & White in the second-straight inning, lifting a double to left center field. A fly ball to right put one away, and Brunson was able to reach on a fielder’s choice to the Buckeye shortstop, who failed to make a play to either first or second base in time. After working a quick 2-0 count, Klosowicz slammed the door on any Buckeye hopes to come back, putting Penn State in run-rule territory with a three-run bomb to left center field. A strikeout put two away, but Ricks kept the frame alive with a walk on six pitches. She took second base on a wild Buckeye offering, and appeared to trot to third base on a passed ball, but an obstruction call gave the Nittany Lion leeway to continue her path to the plate, where she crossed home thanks to a dropped-ball error on the OSU catcher that finalized the nine-run Nittany Lion edge. PSU 11, OSU 2
UP NEXT
Penn State softball concludes its Big Ten Conference weekend series against the No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field on Saturday, April 12. The third and final game of the series is scheduled to begin at Noon (ET), with the contest set for streaming to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. Links to view live stats, purchase parking, and listen live to PSU’s local radio broadcast are available at the team’s schedule webpage at GoPSUsports.com. General admission to all Penn State softball home games is free.
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Instagram and X @PennStateSB.