HOUSTON – Powered by a trio of two-run homers from freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre, the Penn State softball team booked a split on opening day of the Houston Invitational from Cougar Softball Stadium. The Nittany Lions opened Friday’s action with a hard-fought 5-4 loss to the Incarnate Word Cardinals, but responded in style with an emphatic 10-2, run-rule win over the Houston Cougars in six innings of play.
Following the opening day of action from the Lone Star State, Penn State’s 2026 overall season record moved to 5-2, while Incarnate Word improved to 8-0 overall and Houston suffered its first loss of the year to drop to 6-1. The Nittany Lions suffered a loss in the first-ever matchup between Incarnate Word and Penn State in softball, while picking up the program’s first win over Houston in school history. The only prior matchup between PSU and UH went the Cougars’ way on March 11, 2018, a 3-0 win by UH on their home field.
The Alpharetta, Georgia, native Oneacre was unstoppable across both games, batting in more than half of PSU’s runs scored on the opening day of play in Houston. Oneacre finished the day hitting 3-for-4 with four runs scored, a trio of home runs and six runs batted in against the Cardinals and Cougars. Her 3.875 single-day OPS led the Nittany Lion roster by a wide margin, with the rookie corner infielder adding four walks in the batter’s box and an unblemished 1.000 fielding percentage on the defensive end to highlight PSU’s success on the day.
Elsewhere in the order, junior second baseman Michela Barbanente turned in a 3-for-7 day of work with a run scored, a walk and a 1.000 fielding percentage defensively. Sophomore center fielder Natalie Lieto went 2-for-6 with a team-high-tying four runs scored in both games combined, senior catcher Madison Seidel had a hit with two walks on the day, and freshman first baseman Kirsten Finarelli chipped in with a pair of runs scored in addition to a two-run homer lifted over the center field fence in the nightcap against the Cougars.
In the circle, freshman right-hander Mackenzie Duncan turned a remarkably strong pair of appearances, tossing 5.0 frames total with seven strikeouts and a paltry .125 opponent batting average, finishing with a single-day earned run average of 1.40. The Winter Garden, Florida, native earned credit for her second collegiate win against the Cougars, improving to 2-0 overall through her first four appearances at the Division I level. Freshman lefty Brevyn Kellepouris came in to close things out against the Cougars, logging 1.1 innings with zero runs allowed. Junior right-hander McKenna Young rounded out the strongest pitching performances for PSU on Friday, logging 3.1 innings as the starter against UIW with four strikeouts to her credit.
Penn State got off to a strong start early in the weekend’s opening contest against Incarnate Word, with Lieto notching a leadoff double in the top of the second. Oneacre stepped into the batter’s box from there and cranked the first pitch of her at-bat over the fence in center to give the Blue & White a quick two-run edge through one and a half innings. The Nittany Lions tacked on two more in the top half of the third inning, lurching ahead by a 4-0 differential thanks to another two-run bomb from Oneacre that plated Lieto for both players’ second run of the day. The Cardinals scratched one across in the home half of the third, but the Blue & White remained in control by a three-run advantage as the game rolled on. UIW waited until the bottom of the seventh inning to mount a comeback, utilizing a pair of home runs to tie the score, and a sacrifice fly to plate the game winning run in a 5-4 result.
Following a game break, the Nittany Lions got right back to work looking to avenge Friday’s lid-lifting loss. In the top of the first, the tandem of Lieto and Oneacre worked together offensively to generate another two-run home run opportunity for the rookie third baseman. PSU added another score in the top of the third, but the Cougars managed a brief answer in the home half with an RBI grounder that made it a two-run game. Lieto looked to spark some momentum in Penn State’s direction yet again in the top of the third, with the second-year sensation working her way onto the basepath just before Finarelli joined in the two-run home run party with a blast to center. Leading 5-1 heading into the bottom of the third, UH replied with a solo shot to cut the lead back to three, but the Blue & White seized command of the game from there. Behind timely hitting and strong individual efforts in the circle from Duncan and Kellepouris, the Blue & White rolled to its first run-rule win of the 2026 campaign by way of a 10-2 victory over the host-Cougars on their home field.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. INCARNATE WORD)
Allison Oneacre | 2-for-2, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 2 BB
Natalie Lieto | 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B
Mackenzie Duncan | 2.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 2K, 10BF, 49TP
KEY INNINGS (VS. INCARNATE WORD)
T2 | Lieto worked a 2-2 count as the leadoff hitter in the top of the second inning and laced a double down the left field line. From there, Oneacre stepped up to the plate and cranked the first pitch of her at-bat over the fence in center field to give the Blue & White a quick two-run edge. PSU 2, UIW 0
T3 | With two outs on the scoreboard and a runner on first base, Lieto was able to trot 60 feet further by way of a wild pitch. Oneacre entered the box and took the first three pitches of her at-bat to earn a 2-1 count, ultimately electing to pelt the fourth offering over the fence in left to mark her second two-run shot of the game while tying the Nittany Lion single-game home run record. PSU 4, UIW 0
B3 | A leadoff walk for the Cardinals was quickly followed by a flyout to left field, and Ayla Gonzales trotted to second base on a steal moments later. A strikeout put two down, but Jaisy Caceres kept the inning alive with a hit by pitch. Bryanna Fuentes entered the box moments later and smacked a first-pitch single to right center that brought Gonzales aboard. PSU 4, UIW 1
B7 | Gonzales started the inning with a single down the left field line, and Victoria Altamirano homered over the fence in center to bring the Cardinals within one. Following a pitching change, Sydney Zenon lifted a solo shot over the fence in left to tie the game. Caceres doubled to left center, and Fuentes sent a single to center to place runners on the corners following another PSU change in the circle. Dominique Guerra sent a sacrifice fly to center for the walk off sacrifice fly that brought Caceres in. UIW 5, PSU 4
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (AT HOUSTON)
Allison Oneacre | 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 BB
Kirsten Finarelli | 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 1 BB
Mackenzie Duncan | 2.2IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 5K, 10BF, 48TP, WIN
KEY INNINGS (AT HOUSTON)
T1 | With a PSU groundout on the board, Lieto drew a walk on four consecutive pitches to give Penn State its first baserunner of the night. From there, Oneacre stepped up to the dish and cranked her third two-run home run of Friday’s twin-bill, powering a no-doubter over the fence in center field. PSU 2, UH 0
T2 | Bohner drew a leadoff walk on five pitches, but a fielder’s choice saw Klosowicz take over for her at first base following the next at-bat. A wild pitch allowed Klosowicz to run to second, and Seidel sent an RBI single through the left side of the infield that gave the Nittany Lion requisite time to trot all the way home, beating the tag at home plate. PSU 3, UH 0
B2 | Makenna Mitchell booked a leadoff double to the right center gap and Kylei Griffin walked to place runners on the right side of the infield. Ronnie Esparza reached on a fielder’s choice hit to second base, with Griffin put out at second and Mitchell advancing to third. Leilani Garcia put an RBI grounder in play to bring Mitchell aboard. PSU 3, UH 1
T3 | Lieto drew a walk on five pitches, prompting a Cougar pitching change moments later. A popup put one out on the board, but the freshmen bats remained dominant in the next at-bat as Finarelli pelted a two-run shot on a 2-0 count straight over the fence in dead center to put the Blue & White ahead by four. PSU 5, UH 1
B3 | With a strikeout on the scoreboard, Ariel Redmond worked to a 1-2 count and lifted a solo shot over the fence in left center to bring the Cougars back within three. PSU 5, UH 2
T5 | Following some UH defensive changes, Oneacre led the top of the fifth off with a walk, but a foul out the next at-bat put one away. Barbanente drew a walk to put runners on the right side, and Karwowski took over as a pinch runner on second base. Bohner walked on four pitches to juice the bases, and Klosowicz lifted a two-RBI single over the right fielder’s head to plate Karwowski and Barbanente. Seidel walked to juice the bases once more, but a strikeout put a second out on the board. A wild pitch during the next at-bat saw Bohner complete her journey home to give PSU three tallies in the fifth. PSU 8, UH 2
T6 | With one down, Oneacre and Finarelli drew back-to-back walks, and following a Cougar pitching change, Barbanente laced a single to right field. UH failed to make a clean play on the throw back into the infield, allowing Barbanente and Finarelli to reach second and third while Oneacre scored. A wild pitch during the next at-bat brought Penn State’s 10th run aboard to put the game in run-rule territory. PSU 10, UH 2
UP NEXT
The Penn State softball team continues its weekend at the Houston Invitational on Saturday, February 14, as the Nittany Lions travel across town to Husky Field on the campus of Houston Christian University. Due to inclement weather forecasted in the greater Houston area, Saturday’s game times have been adjusted. The Blue & White will face off against the Lafayette Leopards at 11 a.m. (ET), followed by a 1:30 p.m. (ET) start against host-Houston Christian. Live stats will be available via the Penn State StatBroadcast hub at the link here, with live updates available through the Penn State softball social media channels. No live streaming will be available for Saturday’s contests.
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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.
The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.