PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Freshman first baseman Gabby Gradishar stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and launched her second collegiate home run to left-center, powering the Penn State softball team to a thrilling 7-6 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to take the series on Saturday from the Rutgers Softball Complex.
Gradishar, a native of Champion, Ohio, turned in the most dominant individual performance of her collegiate career to date on Saturday afternoon, lifting PSU to its first Big Ten series win with a 3-for-4 masterpiece in the batter’s box that included a pair of RBI and the game-winning run scored on her seventh-inning dinger. The rookie Penn Stater surpassed her career high in hits, with her previous career-high of two last occurring on February 27 against N.C. Central. Gradishar also launched just the second home run of her collegiate career in the win over the Scarlet Knights, leaving the yard for the first time since doing so against the Ohio Bobcats in neutral site non-conference action on February 21.
Thanks to Gradishar’s heroics, Penn State managed its first Big Ten Conference series victory of the 2026 season after taking both of the first two games against Rutgers this weekend in Piscataway. The Nittany Lions improved to 22-11 overall and 3-5 in the B1G through the first eight opportunities on the league ledger. In defeat, Rutgers dropped back to .500 at 17-17 overall and moved to 3-8 against Big Ten Conference opposition this season. In the storied all-time series between the two programs, Penn State picked up its 45th win in 75 opportunities to improve to 45-30 against the Scarlet Knights since the first fixture in 1980.
Gradishar was one of four Nittany Lions to record multiple hits in the second game of the weekend series, with the Blue & White also recording their second consecutive double-digit hitting performance as a team and third in the last four games. Penn State finished Saturday with seven runs on 11 hits, with four of those going for extra bases in the form of three home runs and a double. Junior third baseman Brooke Klosowicz stood out yet again in the box on Saturday, with the third-year veteran finishing 2-for-4 with two runs, three RBI and a home run to keep the Nittany Lions in the hunt throughout the game. Freshman left fielder Breanna Hanik booked a multi-hit outing with a 2-for-4 performance that included a run scored and a double, and sophomore center fielder Natalie Lieto closed out PSU’s multi-hit efforts by going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
In the circle, freshman right-hander Mackenzie Duncan earned the start and threw 2.1 innings, scattering two hits with three earned runs, two walks and a pair of strikeouts across 11 batters faced. Junior right-hander McKenna Young threw 1.2 frames of relief with two hits and one earned run allowed, facing nine Scarlet Knight batters in her second appearance against Rutgers this weekend following Friday night’s winning decision. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Abigail Britton dominated down the stretch for PSU, closing the game out with 3.0 innings of work with a hit, run and earned run allowed while notching six strikeouts across her performance in the circle. The LaVale, Maryland, native earned credit for the winning decision, improving to 4-2 individually this season to date.
Penn State set the tone early in Saturday’s matchup, putting a pair of runs on the board in the top of the first thanks to a solo home run from Barbanente and a bases-loaded RBI walk from George. Rutgers clawed back in the home half of the first with a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game, but Duncan and the Nittany Lion defense kept things clean and preserved the 2-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the third. Rutgers was able to pull ahead with a four-run inning in the home half of the frame, leading by three as the game entered the fourth inning of play.
The momentum swung back in Penn State’s direction in the top of the fourth frame, with the Nittany Lions able to rapidly erase the three-run deficit. Hanik got things rolling for Penn State with a one-out single to right field, and Barbanente drew a walk on five offerings to put a pair of runners on the right side of the infield for the Blue & White. From there, Klosowicz took a pair of pitches and worked a 2-0 count before pulling a no-doubter of a three-run shot over the wall in left field to tie things up at five apiece. The teams exchanged single-run innings in the top and bottom halves of the fifth, and both pitching staffs managed to keep the board clean in the sixth to set up a dramatic finish in Piscataway. With two outs on the board in the top of the seventh, Gradishar stepped into the batter’s box and took the first two pitches to the tune of a 1-1 count, electing to power the third Scarlet Knight offering over the wall in left-center to give Penn State the lead and ultimately steer the Nittany Lions to victory. Britton held things down in the circle for the final three outs of the game, sealing the 7-6 win for Penn State to secure the weekend series victory.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Gabby Gradishar | 3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR
Abigail Britton | 3.0IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 6K, 13BF, 51TP, WIN
KEY INNINGS
T1 | With a popout on the board, Barbanente worked a 2-1 count before walloping a solo home run over the fence in dead center to set the tone in the game. Klosowicz lifted a bloop single over the shortstop’s glove, and Oneacre kept the inning rolling with a four-pitch walk. Lieto loaded the bases with a single through the left side of the infield, and George drew an RBI walk on four pitches to double Penn State’s early advantage. PSU 2, RUT 0
B1 | Sam Rohwer drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a passed ball, with Riley Hwang joining her on the basepath with a walk. A wild pitch saw both runners reach scoring position, and a Baileigh Burtis sacrifice fly to right field saw the first Scarlet Knight run of the series flash on the board. PSU 2, RUT 1
B3 | Jayla Fuller opened the home half of the third with an infield single, but a flyout popped on the board shortly thereafter. Fuller proceeded to steal second base, and an RBI double to center from Hwang brought the run aboard. Burtis sent a single to left field and advanced to second on the throw that prevented Hwang from scoring. Siera Hoekstra put an RBI fielder’s choice in play that saw her reach safely at first while Burtis advanced to third and Hwang came in to score. Hoekstra stole second, and Addie Osborne walked to load the bases just before Stephanie Kraska lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. Burtis came home on the sacrifice, but an error allowed Hoekstra to cross home plate unearned to give Rutgers a three-run edge. RUT 5, PSU 2
T4 | Hanik got things rolling for Penn State with a one-out single to right field, and Barbanente drew a walk on five offerings to put a pair of runners on the right side of the infield for the Blue & White. From there, Klosowicz took a pair of pitches and worked a 2-0 count before pulling a no-doubter of a three-run shot over the wall in left field to tie things up at five apiece. PSU 5, RUT 5
T5 | Flesher drew a hit-by-pitch to lead off the top of the fifth inning, and Seidel bumped her over with a well-executed sacrifice bunt. From there, Gradishar smacked a single to the wall in the left-center gap and brought Flesher in to put the Nittany Lions out front yet again. PSU 6, RUT 5
B5 | Burtis led off the home half of the fifth inning and worked a 1-2 count before sending a solo home run over the fence down the left field line. PSU 6, RUT 6
T7 | With two away, Gradishar stepped into the batter’s box and took the first two pitches to the tune of a 1-1 count, electing to power the third Scarlet Knight offering over the wall in left-center to give Penn State the lead and ultimately steer the Nittany Lions to victory. PSU 7, RUT 6
UP NEXT
Penn State softball wraps up its three-game Big Ten Conference weekend series on Sunday, March 29, as the Nittany Lions prepare for game three against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. First pitch from the Rutgers Softball Complex is slated for 1 p.m. (ET), with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices.
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.