KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Penn State softball team rode a complete-game shutout from freshman right-handed pitcher Mackenzie Duncan to defeat the N.C. Central Eagles, 6-0, before dropping a 4-1 heartbreaker to the No. 1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers on the opening day of the Tennessee Invitational Friday from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Following Friday’s pair of contests in the Smoky Mountains, Penn State moved to 14-3 overall and managed to extend its win streak to 10 consecutive before falling in the nightcap to the top-ranked Lady Volunteers. North Carolina Central dropped to 1-14 overall on the year, with the No. 1 Lady Vols improved to 16-0 following their win to close out the first day of the Tennessee Invitational. After the first all-time meeting between the two sides, PSU improves to 1-0 against NCCU and will look to double its advantage in the all-time series on Sunday in the fifth game of the weekend. PSU remains in the hunt for its first win against Tennessee through two opportunities, with the Nittany Lions set for a Saturday afternoon rematch against the Lady Volunteers in Knoxville.
Freshman infielder Allison Oneacre remained one of the most prominent figures on the Penn State roster through Friday’s twin bill against the Eagles and Lady Vols, with the rookie finishing the day as the only Nittany Lion with a hit in both contests. Oneacre, a native of Alpharetta, Georgia, registered a single in the first game of the day and took Tennessee deep to record the third home run allowed by a Lady Volunteer pitcher in 2026. Oneacre finished the day with a pair of RBI and turned in an OPS of 1.262 across both contests. Graduate outfielder Cara Bohner had a pair of hits against NCCU with an RBI and a double, and freshman designated player Gabby Gradishar mustered another multi-hit outing in her only appearance of the day against the Eagles and added a pair of RBI with an extra-base knock.
In the circle, the Winter Haven, Florida, native Duncan was a force to be reckoned with, notching her first complete game as a collegian while logging the first individual complete-game shutout by a Nittany Lion in the 2026 season. Duncan registered a career-high nine shutouts and surrendered zero walks while scattering a pair of hits in her all-around dominant performance. To open the matchup with No. 1 Tennessee, sophomore right-hander Abigail Britton booked an astonishing start with 4.0 shutout innings against the top-ranked team in college softball. Britton, a native of LaVale, Maryland, scattered three hits with a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, fanning six batters while allowing three free passes. Freshman lefty Brevyn Kellepouris entered the game in relief of Britton, rounding out the trio of Nittany Lions to see time in the circle on Friday.
Duncan opened the first game of the day in the circle with four perfect innings, facing the minimum 12 batters over that span to keep the Eagles off the board through the early going. Penn State left five runners on base in the first and second innings combined, but the Blue & White remained in the hunt for a lid-lifting score as the game wore on. Chamberlin stepped into the batter’s box and blasted her first homer of the 2026 campaign over the fence in center field in the bottom of the fourth inning, powering the Nittany Lions to their first lead of the afternoon. Duncan and the defense continued to hold things down, and a five-run bottom of the sixth inning powered by a two-RBI double from Gradishar and a pair of RBI hits for Bohner and Nemeth drove Penn State to a 6-0 win in Friday’s opening matchup.
The Blue & White returned to work following a game break to take on the top-ranked Lady Volunteers in Friday night’s finale. Penn State’s defense looked strong in the opening frame, and Britton was an absolute flamethrower through the first four innings, racking up three of her six strikeouts on the night in a one-two-three second inning of work. PSU’s pitching and defense gave the Nittany Lions a chance down the stretch, and Oneacre helped make Friday’s matchup extremely interesting with a rocket of a solo homer over the left field wall in the top of the fourth inning. Penn State preserved its one-run edge into the bottom of the fifth, but a grand slam from the Lady Vols made it a 4-1 affair favoring the home squad. Penn State completed the night with an error-free performance but were ultimately unable to tack on an additional score as Tennessee completed the 4-1 result.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. N.C. CENTRAL)
Gabby Gradishar | 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B
Macy Chamberlin | 1-for-1, R, RBI, HR, 2 BB
Mackenzie Duncan | 7.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 9K, 23BF, 110TP, WIN, CG, SHO
KEY INNINGS (VS. N.C. CENTRAL)
B4 | Following an inning-opening strikeout, Chamberlin stepped into the batter’s box and worked a 2-2 count before demolishing her first home run of the 2026 campaign over the fence in dead center to break the deadlock. PSU 1, NCCU 0
B6 | Finarelli led the home half of the sixth off with a single to center on a 1-2 count, and Karwowski executed an ideal sac bunt to move the runner over. Chamberlin drew a walk to put runners on the right side, and a first-pitch double off the wall in left center brought Finarelli aboard while keeping runners on second and third. Gradishar took the first pitch of her at-bat for a ball before blasting a double to center, plating both Nittany Lions in scoring position. Nemeth entered the game for her first at-bat since 2024 and registered a pinch-hit RBI single to bring Gradishar around. Walters re-entered to run for Nemeth at first and promptly stole second following a PSU strikeout, and Oneacre batted her in with an RBI single to center to make it a six-run affair. PSU 6, NCCU 0
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (AT TENNESSEE)
Allison Oneacre | 1-for-3, R, RBI, HR
Abigail Britton | 4.0IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 6K, 18BF, 77TP
KEY INNINGS (AT TENNESSEE)
T4 | After working the count full, Oneacre elected to lift the sixth pitch of her at-bat over the fence in left field to give the Nittany Lions a one-run advantage. PSU 1, TENN 0
B5 | Sophia Knight laid down a bunt single, and Gabby Leach reached via a fielder’s choice that saw runners stay on the right side. Ella Morrison lifted a blooper of a single to the left-center gap, and Ella Dodge brought four runs aboard with a grand slam to left field. TENN 4, PSU 1
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its stay in the Smoky Mountains this Saturday, February 28, as the Blue & White enter day two of the Tennessee Invitational. Action begins at 12:30 p.m. (ET) with a matchup against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, followed by a 3 p.m. (ET) rematch with the No. 1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. PSU’s matchup against the Mountaineers will feature live updates through the Penn State softball social media channels, while the weekend’s second matchup with Tennessee will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
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.