COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Penn State softball’s run in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament presented by Allstate came to a close on Thursday night, with the Blue & White dropping a 6-1 decision to the sixth-ranked UCLA Bruins in quarterfinal action from Maryland Softball Stadium.
The Nittany Lions totaled five hits in the team’s finale at the Big Ten Tournament, with a pair of student-athletes mustering extra-base knocks across the contest. Junior designated player Brooke Klosowicz headlined the Penn State roster on Thursday, registering PSU’s only multi-hit outing of the contest. The Johnsburg, Illinois, native Klosowicz finished the night 2-for-3 with a double and walk drawn. Freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre made her presence felt in the batter’s box, mashing a double in the top of the fifth inning on the first pitch of her at-bat to bring her season total to a team-leading 14. Freshman left fielder Breanna Hanik and junior right fielder Frankee Flesher both added singles of their own to round out the quintet of Nittany Lion knocks in the B1G quarterfinal.
In the circle, junior right-hander McKenna Young earned the start and was saddled with the loss on Thursday night, closing the book on an all-around stellar campaign in her first season at Penn State. Young finished the year as PSU’s leader in pitching victories, working a 12-5 ledger in her inaugural season in Happy Valley. Junior right-hander Bridget Nemeth worked over the next 1.2 frames, allowing two runs. Freshman southpaw Brevyn Kellepouris entered from there and tossed an absolute gem over the game’s remaining four innings. The Olathe, Kansas, native scattered two hits, allowed zero runs and struck out three batters across 65 total offerings in an impressive relief outing.
Penn State started the game off strong, with Hanik whacking a first-pitch leadoff single to center field to give the Nittany Lion fan base in attendance a jolt of energy. A double to right from Klosowicz placed a pair of runners in scoring position, but the Blue & White were unable to capitalize on the early chance with a score. UCLA responded by tacking on four runs in the bottom of the first and two more in the third, managing a six-run lead through three innings complete. Penn State remained in the hunt, however, working through a bases-loaded situation with one out in the bottom of the fifth that could have resulted in a run-rule defeat. Instead, PSU turned an inning-ending double-play and showed incredible resilience with a run scored in the top of the sixth. Unfortunately, Penn State was unable to overcome UCLA’s five run advantage, closing the book on Thursday’s action in 6-1 fashion.
Following the conclusion of Penn State’s Big Ten Tournament run, the Nittany Lions own a 33-21 overall record coupled with an 11-13 finish in B1G regular season fixtures. PSU has won 30 games or more in four of the last five seasons and has extended its streak of double-digit winning conference campaigns to five straight, the longest such stretch of that nature in Penn State program history. With the win, UCLA improved to 46-7 overall and will continue its stay in College Park with a semifinal matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (ET) from Maryland Softball Stadium.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-3, 2B, BB
Allison Oneacre | 1-for-4, 2B
Brevyn Kellepouris | 4.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 3K, 16BF, 65TP
KEY INNINGS
B1 | With an early flyout on the board, Megan Grant sent a solo home run over the wall in center field to give UCLA an early edge. From there, Jordan Woolery took the first pitch of her at-bat down the left field line for a double, and Aleena Garcia sent a homer to right-center that bounced off the top of the wall for two more tallies. Bri Alejandre stepped into the batter’s box next and lifted a solo shot to left that made it a four-run game. UCLA 4, PSU 0
B3 | Alexis Ramirez led off the home half of the third with a homer to left-center, and Soo-Jin Berry kept things going with a double. Jolyna Lamar followed that up in the next at-bat with a triple off the wall in left that plated another Bruin score. UCLA 6, PSU 0
T6 | Following a Bruin defensive change, Flesher led the visitor’s half of the sixth off with a slap single through the left side of the infield. A fielder’s choice put in play by Barbanente saw Flesher put out at second, and Gradishar drew a walk to make it runners on the right side. Walters laid down a sacrifice bunt that UCLA failed to field cleanly, resulting in a throwing error on the third baseman that saw Walters wind up at second, Gradishar move to third and Barbanente come in for the tally. UCLA 6, PSU 1
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The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.