UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State dropped its series finale against the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday afternoon, falling by a 17-3 differential in six innings of play from Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field.
Freshman left fielder Breanna Hanik was the only Nittany Lion with a multiple-hit game to her credit in the series finale, with the Oak Lawn, Illinois, native finishing the day 2-for-3 with an RBI, double and walk drawn. Junior infielder Brooke Klosowicz was 1-for-3 in the contest, scoring a pair of runs and drawing a walk of her own. The Johnsburg, Illinois, native Klosowicz’ lone hit in the game came in the form of her second triple on the 2026 campaign, marking the fourth three-bagger of her collegiate career to date. PSU saw additional hits fly off the bats of freshman infielder Allison Oneacre and sophomore catcher Macy Chamberlin, with added RBI coming from Oneacre and junior designated player Jordan George via a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
The Nittany Lions started the game off with a promising opportunity in the bottom of the first inning, as Klosowicz led things off first and worked a 2-2 count before pelting the softball off the wall in left field for a triple. Oneacre drew a hit-by-pitch on the second offering of her at-bat, and Hanik laced an RBI double to the left-center gap to bring Klosowicz in for the lid-lifting tally. PSU left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, but strong effort in the pitcher’s circle from sophomore right-hander Abigail Britton kept PSU in front through three innings. NU added three runs in the top of the fourth and four more in the fifth to pull ahead by six, but Penn State got a score back via a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. The Wildcats tacked on 10 more runs in the top of the sixth inning to take control of the contest, ultimately closing out a 17-3 win in University Park in six innings.
Following Sunday’s result, Penn State dropped to 26-15 overall and 7-8 in Big Ten Conference competitions, while Northwestern improved to 20-19 and moved back above .500 in B1G action with an 8-7 league ledger. The Nittany Lions return to action at Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field on Tuesday, April 14, with a 6 p.m. (ET) first pitch scheduled against non-conference in-state competitor Bucknell.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Breanna Hanik | 2-for-3, RBI, 2B, BB
Brooke Klosowicz | 1-for-3, 2 R, 3B, BB
KEY INNINGS
B1 | Klosowicz led off the home half of the first and worked a 2-2 count before pelting the softball off the wall in left field for a triple. Oneacre drew a hit-by-pitch on the second offering of her at-bat, and Hanik laced an RBI double to the left-center gap to bring Klosowicz in for the lid-lifting tally. PSU 1, NU 0
T4 | Kaylie Avvisato led the top of the fourth inning off with a single to left field, and Emma Raye lifted the first pitch of her at-bat over the scoreboard in left field to give Northwestern a 2-1 edge. Kansas Robinson added a solo shot to right in the ensuing at-bat, making it a two-run ballgame. NU 3, PSU 1
T5 | With the leadoff batter put out via an illegally batted ball, Avvisato sent a solo home run down the left field line. Raye singled moments later to prompt a PSU pitching change, and a popup put a second out on the scoreboard. Bridget Donahey drew a hit-by-pitch in the next plate appearance, and a double to left from Nader brought Raye in and bumped Donahey to third. With two outs and a pair of runners in scoring position, Izzy Cunnea singled to center to plate two more Wildcat runs. NU 7, PSU 1
B5 | Three-straight walks from Klosowicz, Oneacre and Hanik loaded the bases just before George powered a sacrifice fly to left field that brought Klosowicz home. NU 7, PSU 2
T6 | With one down, Nieto walked and Avvisato singled to make it runners on the right side. Raye drew a walk to load the bases, and Robinson sent a bases-clearing double to right center. Donahey walked and Nader singled to load the bases once again, and a single to right from Cunnea plated another tally. Teagan McCue drew an RBI walk, and Tru Medina lifted a sac fly to left while McCue and Cunnea moved 60 feet further thanks to a PSU throwing error. Nieto singled to score another run and make it runners on the corners, electing to steal second moments later. A three-run homer over the fence in left from Avvisato closed out the scoring for Northwestern. NU 17, PSU 2
B6 | With one out on the board, Flesher drew a walk and ultimately advanced to third after Chamberlin sent a pinch-hit single to right-center. A strikeout put two away, but Oneacre sent a single through the left side of the infield to plate the game’s final run. NU 17, PSU 3
UP NEXT
Penn State Softball wraps up its seven-game home stand from Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field this Tuesday, April 14, as the Nittany Lions play host to the in-state rival Bucknell Bison in a 6 p.m. (ET) matchup. The game will stream live 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.