UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sophomore right fielder Brooke Klosowicz etched her name atop another single-season Penn State leaderboard on Friday evening, forcing extra-innings against the Washington Huskies while setting the program’s single-season RBI record with her 51st of the year following a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Blue & White ultimately dropped the series opener against the Huskies by a 9-5 tally in nine frames from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
Klosowicz, a native of Johnsburg, Illinois, continued her dominant individual run through the Nittany Lion record book with another impressive individual showing on Friday night. The second-year standout finished the night 2-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI and a home run to her credit in the series opener. Klosowicz logged her team-leading 18th multi-hit outing on Friday night in addition to her 14th multiple-RBI performance of the year. The sophomore is up to 51 RBI over the course of the 2025 season, breaking the single-season program record of 49 RBI set by Jennifer Tripken and Nan Sichler in 2002 and 1988, respectively. Klosowicz also boasts 13 home runs this season, placing her in a tie for fourth alongside teammate Haylie Brunson and three others for the most home runs in a single season at PSU.
Elsewhere in the final box score, senior third baseman Maddie Gordon kicked the weekend off with a three-hit performance to match her season-best in the category. The Shenandoah, Virginia, native finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two-RBI, booking a solo home run and RBI single to amass that total. Sophomore shortstop Kaylie Walters was the only other Nittany Lion with a multiple-hit outing, logging the 12th such performance of her second collegiate season with a 2-for-3 final line that included a run scored and sacrifice bunt. Brunson, as well as sophomore second baseman Michela Barbanente, junior catcher Madison Seidel and sophomore first baseman Gianna Poletti each added tallies of their own, while sophomore designated player Jordan George booked her first hit as a Nittany Lion in her first start of the year.
In the team’s 48th game of the 2025 campaign, Penn State experienced its first extra-inning contest since playing nine innings against the Maryland Terrapins in the opening round of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa, on May 8 of last year. The Nittany Lions dropped to 23-25 overall this season and fell to 9-11 against Big Ten Conference competitors with two more games on the schedule against Washington. The Huskies, meanwhile, improved to 33-15 overall and 11-8 in their inaugural Big Ten campaign. Following the ninth all-time meeting between the two programs, and their first meeting as league foes, Washington improved to 8-1 against the Nittany Lions in a series that dates to the 2002 campaign.
At the pitcher’s rubber, the Nittany Lions called on three student-athletes to work their way through the nine-inning battle against the Huskies, with senior right-hander Mady Volpe earning the start in the weekend opener. The Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native battled through the first 4.0 innings before coming back into the game in the top of the ninth, booking the loss while moving to 9-15 overall this season. Freshman righty Abigail Britton went 4.1 innings with three hits and three earned runs against her, while sophomore right-hander Jiselle Hernandez tossed 0.2 shutout frames and faced a single batter thanks to a 5U lineout double play to end Washington’s half of the ninth inning.
The first three innings of the game passed largely without incident, as Volpe and Washington starter Sophia Ramuno jockeyed back and forth against one another in the early going. The Huskies were the first team on the scoreboard, utilizing a passed ball and two-run homer to take a quick 3-0 advantage midway through the fourth inning. On the first Washington offering in the home half of the frame, Gordon seized her opportunity and tore the cover off the softball, pelting a solo shot over the fence in left center to get the Blue & White on the board. After a fly ball put one away in the bottom of the fifth, Seidel and Poletti both worked back-to-back singles to place Nittany Lion runners on the right side of the infield. A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Walters down the third base line allowed both Penn Staters to advance 60 more feet. Following a Washington pitching change, Gordon stepped into the box and delivered a two-out RBI bloop single into left field to bring Seidel around and make it a one-run game.
Washington nursed its one-run lead through the bottom of the sixth and utilized a two-run visitor’s half of the seventh to add what appeared to be insurance scores. Following the quick Husky advance in the top of the seventh to take a 5-2 lead, the Blue & White quickly found themselves down to their last out after a strikeout and grounder put two away. Walters utilized her speed and offensive versatility to give the Nittany Lions new life, with the second-year standout legging out an infield single. Gordon smacked a hard-hit single toward the Washington third baseman, moving Walters to second just before Klosowicz stepped into the batter’s box. The sophomore superstar took her first two pitches and worked a 1-1 count just before deadlocking the game with a no-doubt three-run homer to center field that saw her overtake Tripken and Sichler on the Nittany Lion single-season RBI leaderboard. Neither team managed any additional scoring until the Huskies broke the game open in the top of the ninth, utilizing a four-run frame to take a 9-5 victory in the series opener Friday night.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-4, R, 3 RBI (SET SINGLE-SEASON RECORD AT 51), HR
Maddie Gordon | 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 1B, HR
Kaylie Walters | 2-for-3, R, 2 1B, SAC BU
KEY INNINGS
T4 | With one out on the scoreboard, Alycia Flores zipped a double down the third base line and advanced to third following a teammate’s groundout moments later. A passed ball allowed Flores to complete her quick journey around the bases. A two-out triple to right by Charity Sevaaetasi set the table for Sophi Mazzola, who lifted a two-run shot over the fence in right center to give the Huskies a three-run edge. WASH 3, PSU 0
B4 | On the first Washington offering in the home half of the fourth, Gordon seized her opportunity and tore the cover off the softball, pelting a solo shot over the fence in left center to get the Blue & White on the board. WASH 3, PSU 1
B5 | After a fly ball put one away, Seidel and Poletti both worked back-to-back singles to place Nittany Lion runners on the right side of the infield. A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Walters down the third base line allowed both Penn Staters to advance 60 more feet. Following a Washington pitching change, Gordon stepped into the box and delivered a two-out RBI bloop single into left field to bring Seidel around and make it a one-run game. WASH 3, PSU 2
T7 | Jade Bubke led the visitor’s half of the final frame off with a double to right center, ultimately advancing to third after a teammate grounded out in the ensuing at-bat. A double to center from Jadyn Glab brought Bubke aboard, with Glab able to take third base after Alexis DeBoer reached via a PSU fielding error. DeBoer stole second to put pressure on the Nittany Lion defense, and a groundout moments later saw Glab book the unearned tally to put Washington up by three. WASH 5, PSU 2
B7 | Following the quick Husky advance in the top of the seventh, the Blue & White quickly found themselves down to their last out after a strikeout and grounder put two away. Walters utilized her speed and offensive versatility to give the Nittany Lions new life, with the second-year standout legging out an infield single. Gordon smacked a hard-hit single toward the Washington third baseman, moving Walters to second just before Klosowicz stepped into the batter’s box. The sophomore superstar took her first two pitches and worked a 1-1 count just before deadlocking the game with a no-doubt three-run homer to center field that saw her overtake Jennifer Tripken and Nan Sichler on the Nittany Lion single-season RBI leaderboard. PSU 5, WASH 5
T9 | Bubke led the top off with a walk and proceeded to steal second base moments later. A groundout bumped the runner to third base just before Glab drew a walk to place runners on the corners. Back-to-back walks resulted in Bubke coming around for the game-winning run, and a two-RBI single by Giselle Alvarez moments later saw Glab and DeBoer add tallies for the Huskies. Sevaaetasi singled to load the bases once again, and one final hit for Mazzola warranted the final insurance score of the game for Washington. WASH 9, PSU 5
UP NEXT
Penn State softball will continue its weekend series against the B1G-newcomer Washington Huskies on Saturday, May 3, with first pitch time slated for 11 a.m. (ET) at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The contest features an adjusted start time due to inclement weather forecasted in Central Pennsylvania throughout the day on Saturday. Please stay tuned to the Penn State softball social media channels for the most up-to-date information regarding the remainder of this weekend’s series with Washington. Saturday’s contest will also serve as the program’s Senior Day presented by the Penn State Alumni Association, with the game’s live stream via B1G+ and the B1G+ app slated to begin early to capture the festivities. Saturday’s Senior Day ceremony is scheduled for a 10:40 a.m. (ET) start.
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