SALEM, Va. – Powered by eight extra-base hits and 23 combined runs across both halves of the doubleheader, the Penn State softball team roared to a pair of wins over the Radford Highlanders and Boston College Eagles in Friday’s action from the Hokie Invite from the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. PSU defeated Radford by a 15-4 tally in five innings of play before notching an 8-3 decision over Boston College in the nightcap.
Following Friday night’s dominant performances, the Nittany Lions improved on their blazing-hot start to the 2026 campaign by improving to 18-4 overall on the young season, mirroring the best start through 22 games in program history set by the 2023 squad. Radford booked a Friday afternoon split at the Hokie Invite, defeating Bryant before falling to PSU to move to 6-12 overall on the year. Boston College picked up a win over James Madison before dropping the contest to the Blue & White, moving to 8-14 through Friday’s games. In the all-time series against the Highlanders, PSU picked up its fifth win in six opportunities, while improving to 2-0 against Boston College this season and 8-1 against BC in a series that dates to 1987.
Penn State’s offense was a force yet again across both halves of Friday’s action, with the Nittany Lions mustering 22 hits and 23 runs while hitting .379 as a team. Freshman left fielder Breanna Hanik led the way for the Blue & White, finishing the day hitting 4-for-6 with three runs scored, a double, triple and home run to her credit across both halves of the doubleheader. The Oak Lawn, Illinois, native finished the day with six RBI and slugged to the tune of a 1.667 percentage across both games. Sophomore center fielder Natalie Lieto hit .600 with a double and two RBI, junior designated player Brooke Klosowicz finished hitting .500 with two doubles and a home run with five RBI, and freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre rounded out the trio of Penn Staters with long balls on the day, finishing 2-for-6 with two runs, three RBI and a solo shot to her credit.
In the circle, PSU called on four pitchers to combine for the 12.0 innings pitched on Friday, with freshman southpaw Brevyn Kellepouris highlighting the staff with her third win at the collegiate level against Boston College in the nightcap. The Olathe, Kansas, native went 4.1 frames with six hits, two earned runs, zero walks and three strikeouts comprising her final line, improving to 3-1 on the season following the conclusion of the game against BC. Junior right-hander McKenna Young earned the start and winning decision in the game against Radford, improving to 5-1 on the 2026 campaign following her second consecutive complete-game performance. Junior right-hander Bridget Nemeth and freshman righty Mackenzie Duncan both notched brief relief appearances, with both players appearing against BC.
Friday’s opener began with an emphatic start from the Nittany Lion offense, as Penn State tallied seven runs on just three hits to build a decisive early advantage against the Highlanders. Radford showed signs of life in the home half with an RBI single, and both teams continued to battle through the second inning with Penn State wielding a six-run advantage. A fielding error by the Highlanders in the top of the third inning kicked off a decisive frame from the Nittany Lion offense, with PSU racking up six additional runs on four hits and a pair of errors to truly put the game out of reach. With Penn State leading by a 13-1 margin, the Nittany Lions were able to hold things down defensively behind Young to complete the team’s 11th error-free outing of 2026 while closing the book on a 15-4 win in five innings of play.
A short break allowed Penn State to ramp things up for game two against Boston College. The opening inning passed without incident for both teams, but Penn State broke things open with a four-run top of the second inning. Hanik worked a 1-2 count and immediately blasted the next pitch over the fence in center to give the Blue & White an early edge. Seidel sent a single up the middle, and Bohner laced a double to center to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Following an Eagle circle visit, Gradishar kept the party rolling with a two-RBI single to left-center, advancing to second on the throw. Walters drew a walk to put two runners on the right side, and Oneacre singled to left to bring a fourth run aboard. PSU added a solo shot in the top of the fourth to make it 5-0, but the Eagles were able to scratch a pair of runs across in the fifth. A strong three-run inning in the top of the sixth took any doubt away, and Penn State was able to hold on to its advantage to close out the doubleheader sweep with an 8-3 victory against Boston College.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. RADFORD)
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-4, R, 4 RBI, HR,
Breanna Hanik | 2-for-2, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3B, SB
Natalie Lieto | 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
KEY INNINGS (VS. RADFORD)
T1 | Oneacre drew a leadoff hit-by-pitch, Lieto laid down a pristine bunt single, and Klosowicz brought them all home with a three-run bomb over the fence in center to set the tone for the remainder of the contest. Barbanente and Chamberlin drew back-to-back walks, but a putout put one away. Bohner loaded the bases with a walk of her own, and Hanik bashed a bases-clearing triple off the fence in right-center to break the game open. A productive RBI grounder from Walters brought the Nittany Lions’ seventh run of the inning aboard. PSU 7, RAD 0
B1 | With a liner and strikeout on the board to put two down, Amber Wolfe doubled to right field Hailey Scott brought her in with a single to short left field. PSU 7, RAD 1
T3 | A lineout put one away, but Gradishar was able to reach in the next at-bat following a Highlander fielding error. Bohner kept the inning going with a single to center, ultimately reaching third following a throwing error by Radford that saw Gradishar come in unearned. Hanik kept the party rolling with a single through the left side to bring Bohner in moments later. Hanik stole second, and ultimately advanced to third via a wild pitch, with Walters drawing a four-pitch walk to make it runners on the corners shortly thereafter. Walters stole second to put a pair in scoring position, and Oneacre reached via RBI fielder’s choice to make it runners on the corners once again. Karwowski entered to run for Oneacre at first base, promptly stealing second before a single to right from Lieto plated two more runs. A Highlander pitching change preceded a stolen base from Lieto, and Klosowicz notched an RBI single to make it a 12-run affair. PSU 13, RAD 1
T4 | Kellepouris led off the visitor’s half of the fourth and mustered her first collegiate hit, ultimately advancing to second via another Highlander error. Karwowski laced an infield single toward the shortstop to make it runners on the corners, and a sacrifice bunt from Karwowski allowed Kellepouris to come home. PSU 14, RAD 1
B4 | After a strikeout put one away, Amanda Lee sent a double to left-center and Malli Groves sent a triple down the left field line to put another run up. Layla Miles and Myla Russell drew free passes to load the bases, and Jada Holt booked a pinch-hit RBI fielder’s choice to plate Groves while leaving the bases loaded. Grace Hogie registered an RBI groundout to bring a third run in. PSU 14, RAD 4
T5 | Barbanente booked a leadoff single up the middle, and Jochims put a ball in play that left the Highlander defense in shambles, seeing Barbanente reach third while Jochims advanced to second following the fielder’s choice. An RBI grounder from Gradishar put Penn State’s 15th and final run on the board. PSU 15, RAD 4
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. BOSTON COLLEGE)
Breanna Hanik | 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR
Allison Oneacre | 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
Brevyn Kellepouris | 4.1IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 3K, 19BF, 58TP, WIN
KEY INNINGS (VS. BOSTON COLLEGE)
T2 | Hanik worked a 1-2 count and immediately blasted the next pitch over the fence in center to give the Blue & White an early edge. Seidel sent a single up the middle, and Bohner laced a double to center to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Following an Eagle circle visit, Gradishar kept the party rolling with a two-RBI single to left-center, advancing to second on the throw. Walters drew a walk to put two runners on the right side, and Oneacre singled to left to bring a fourth run aboard. PSU 4, BC 0
T4 | With one away, Oneacre entered the batter’s box and worked a 2-2 count on five pitches, pelting the sixth opposite-field over the fence in right-center for a solo blast. PSU 5, BC 0
B5 | Nicole Riddell led things off with a single up the middle, and Kae DePerio laid a bunt single down to put a pair of runners on. A sac bunt moved both into scoring position, prompting a PSU pitching change, and Emma Knight sent a two-RBI single toward the Nittany Lion shortstop to bring a pair in. PSU 5, BC 2
T6 | Walters got the sixth started with a textbook slap single, but a popup put one away. Lieto drew a hit-by-pitch to put a pair of runners on, and Klosowicz sent a double down the left field line to bring one run in while leaving a pair in scoring position. Barbanente laid down a squeeze bunt that scored Lieto and advanced Klosowicz to third. Barbanente then stole second, and an RBI grounder from Hanik made it a six-run game. PSU 8, BC 2
B7| Emma Knight led the home half of the seventh off with a solo shot that closed out Friday night’s scoring. PSU 8, BC 3
UP NEXT
Penn State softball concludes its two-day stay in Western Virginia this Saturday, March 7, as the Nittany Lions finish the Hokie Invite with a twin-bill against the James Madison Dukes and No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies. First pitch in game one against JMU is slated for 1 p.m. (ET), with a 3:30 p.m. (ET) start scheduled against the 11th-ranked Hokies. Both games from the James I. Moyer Sports Complex will stream live to a worldwide audience of pay-per-view subscribers via MuscoVision, with live updates available through the Penn State softball social media channels.
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The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.