BATON ROUGE, La. – Penn State’s offense roared on the opening day of the 2025 LSU Invitational, with the Nittany Lion softball team able to ride a solid day at the dish to a split 1-1 record, delivering a 10-2 run-rule result over the Nicholls Colonels before dropping a tough 10-1 defeat to the sixth-ranked LSU Tigers from Tiger Park Friday afternoon.
Following the conclusion of Friday’s action for the Blue & White, Penn State moved to 4-8 on the young season and logged its third victory of the year by way of the run-rule, with the prior two occasions coming against Kennesaw State in a 9-1 battle on February 8, and a 12-2 decision over Loyola Chicago on February 15. The sixth-ranked Tigers rose to 11-0 following their victory against PSU, while Nicholls fell to 5-8 after falling to both Penn State and Southern Miss on the opening day of tournament action in Baton Rouge. The Nittany Lions secured a win in the first all-time meeting with Nicholls and dropped to 4-7 against the Bayou Bengals in a series that dates to 1998.
In the batter’s box on Friday, Penn State saw four student-athletes hit at-or-above .500 while recording at least two plate appearances, ultimately culminating in a .333 day of offensive production at the plate as a team. Fifth-year infielder Meagan Ricks dazzled in her plate appearances, publishing an .800 average on 4-for-5 hitting with two runs scored, an RBI and a double across both games. Sophomore sensation and Nittany Lion infielder Brooke Klosowicz continued her team-leading reached-base streak, extending that to 11-straight games after going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a pair of doubles and an RBI across both halves of the twin bill.
The Nittany Lions also celebrated a trio of home runs in the dominant win over Nicholls, with fifth-year right fielder Haylie Brunson blasting her second long ball of the season for a two-run shot in the top of the third. Penn State also saw a pair of student-athletes record their first collegiate home runs on Friday, with freshman outfielder Natalie Lieto sending a ball over the fence on her first at-bat of the day, while junior catcher Madison Seidel celebrated a home run shot later in the game after entering in relief of freshman Macy Chamberlin behind the plate. The Wauseon, Ohio, native Chamberlin mustered an impressive day in her own right in terms of on-base percentage, reaching first base a total of four times thanks to two singles and two walks for a .750 OBP against the Colonels and Tigers.
Penn State called on a trio of pitchers to work their way through Friday afternoon’s doubleheader, with senior left-hander Lydia Spalding continuing her impressive individual streak of performances with 5.2 innings pitched and a 1.24 ERA allowed across both contests. The Austintown, Ohio, native Spalding held opponents to an eye-popping .150 batting average-against, scattering a meager three hits and fanning a quartet of challengers while allowing a single earned run. Senior right-hander Mady Volpe tossed 3.1 innings and earned the start against Nicholls, while freshman righty Abigail Britton earned the start against LSU and tossed a single frame. Spalding headlined the day for PSU, rising to 2-0 individually after earning the win against Nicholls.
In Friday’s opener, Lieto stepped up to the plate against Nicholls and cranked a solo home run as the first batter of the ballgame to give Penn State an early 1-0 advantage, but the Colonels fought back with single-run frames in the first and second to take a 2-1 lead. In the top of the third, Ricks singled toward the Nicholls pitcher with one out on the board to get a run started for the Nittany Lions. Klosowicz kept the offense rolling with a double to center that brought Ricks around to score. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Brunson stepped up to the dish and clobbered the softball straight over the fence in center to plate two more runs following her second dinger of the 2025 campaign.
Leading by a 4-2 tally, Lieto started the visitor’s half of the fourth inning off with another knock, belting a double to left field on a 2-2 count. Ricks stepped up next and delivered a single through the right side of the infield to move Lieto over to third and place runners on the corners. Ricks then stole second, and Klosowicz juiced the bases after being hit by a Nicholls pitch in the next plate appearance. A pair of strikeouts put two away for the Nittany Lions, but back-to-back RBI walks by Gordon and Barbanente helped plate Lieto and Ricks, respectively. After a Colonel pitching change, Coleman entered to pinch hit and mustered her third single of the year in as many at-bats to drive in Klosowicz and Gordon. An RBI double from Ricks in the top of the fifth, followed by Seidel’s first career homer in the top of the sixth was all the Nittany Lions needed to register a 10-2, six-inning victory over the Colonels.
Penn State returned to the diamond after a brief game break to battle the nationally ranked Tigers on their home field. Defensive woes plagued the Nittany Lions in the early going against LSU, with the home squad able to tally four runs in the bottom of the first inning and follow that up with five more in the third to take a 9-0 edge. Seeking a response, Gordon battled her way into a full count as the leadoff hitter for Penn State in the top of the fourth, utilizing a keen sense of plate awareness to crank a double to left center field and help spark new life for the Nittany Lion bats. In the next at-bat, Brunson stepped up to the plate and knocked a double of her own off the wall in center, allowing Gordon plenty of time to make her way back home for the only Nittany Lion tally in the ballgame. LSU tacked on one more score in the home half of the fourth to close out the scoring in a 10-1 Tiger home victory in five innings.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. NICHOLLS)
Meagan Ricks | 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SB
Natalie Lieto | 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, FIRST CAREER HR
Brooke Klosowicz | 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B, HBP
Lydia Spalding | 4.0 IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 3K, 63TP, WIN
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (VS. LSU)
Maddie Gordon | 1-for-2, R, 2B
Haylie Brunson | 1-for-2, RBI, 2B
Lydia Spalding | 1.2 IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 1K, 30TP
KEY INNINGS (VS. NICHOLLS)
T1 | After battling through the first three pitches of her at-bat to work into a 2-1 count, Lieto took the fourth pitch on a ride over the fence in right center to mark her first collegiate home run. PSU 1, NICH 0
B1 | Claire Sisco led off the home half of the first with a double to right field, and the Colonels executed a sacrifice bunt to bump her 60 feet further. After a strikeout put a pair of outs on the board, Riley Rutherford singled through the left side to drive Sisco in to tie the game. PSU 1, NICH 1
B2 | Carmella Muccilli drew a leadoff walk, and after a Colonel flew out to right to put one away, Brynne Songy cranked an RBI double to right center to bring Muccilli around, giving Nicholls a narrow one-run lead. NICH 2, PSU 1
T3 | With one out on the board, Ricks singled toward the Nicholls pitcher to get a run started for the Nittany Lions. Klosowicz kept the offense rolling with a double to center that brought Ricks around to score. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Brunson stepped up to the dish and clobbered the softball straight over the fence in center to plate two more runs. PSU 4, NICH 2
T4 | Lieto started the visitor’s half of the fourth inning off with another knock, belting a double to left field on a 2-2 count. Ricks stepped up next and delivered a single through the right side of the infield to move Lieto over to third and place runners on the corners. Ricks then stole second, and Klosowicz juiced the bases after being hit by a Nicholls pitch in the next plate appearance. A pair of strikeouts put two away for the Nittany Lions, but back-to-back RBI walks by Gordon and Barbanente helped plate Lieto and Ricks, respectively. After a Colonel pitching change, Coleman entered to pinch hit and mustered her third single of the year in as many at-bats to drive in Klosowicz and Gordon. PSU 8, NICH 2
T5 | Nelson led the top of the fifth off with a single through the left side, and a grounder from Lieto bumped Nelson 60 feet further while putting an out on the board. Ricks returned to the plate and continued her hot streak, lifting a double to center that brought Nelson around. PSU 9, NICH 2
T6 | Seidel came in to pinch hit for the Blue & White and worked a 3-1 count against the Nicholls pitcher before tearing the cover off the softball in a dead-straight solo shot to center for her first collegiate home run. PSU 10, NICH 2
KEY INNINGS (VS. LSU)
B1 | Danieca Coffey led the offensive side of the game off for the Tigers with a double to left, and a throwing error by the PSU center fielder trying to catch Coffey at home ultimately allowed her to score while Jalia Lassiter turned a single into a trip to third base. Maci Bergeron drew a walk, and Tori Edwards juiced the bases after reaching first on a throwing error by the Nittany Lion third baseman. McKenzie Redoutey doubled to right, plating Bergeron and Lassiter, and after a walk drawn by Maddox McKee, Jadyn Laneaux lifted a sac fly to left that brought Edwards in. LSU 4, PSU 0
B3 | McKee led the bottom of the third off with a single toward the PSU pitcher, and a single to right center by Laneaux put runners on the corners. Laneaux promptly stole second, and a single to right by Avery Hodge plated McKee and moved Laneaux to third. Sierra Daniel reached first via a fielder’s choice to the pitcher, and a throwing error saw Hodge move to third and Daniel move to second while Laneaux completed her trip around the bases. Coffey drew a walk, and Lassiter sent a sac fly to center that scored Hodge moments later. The bases were loaded once more after Bergeron reached on a fielding error, and an RBI walk by Edwards plated Daniel. After a PSU pitching change, a wild pitch allowed one more run to cross the plate. LSU 9, PSU 0
T4 | Gordon battled her way into a full count as the leadoff hitter for Penn State in the top of the fourth, utilizing a keen sense of plate awareness to crank a double to left center field and help spark new life for the Nittany Lion bats. In the next at-bat, Brunson stepped up to the plate and knocked a double of her own off the wall in center, allowing Gordon plenty of time to make her way back home for the only Nittany Lion tally in the ballgame. LSU 9, PSU 1
B4 | With one away, Abigail Savoy drew a walk on five pitches to spark the Tiger attack in the bottom of the fourth. Hodge reentered to run for Savoy at first, and after an LSU popup put two outs on the board, Hodge proceeded to steal second base. A single through the right side from Coffey brought Hodge in to close out Friday evening’s scoring. LSU 10, PSU 1
UP NEXT
Penn State softball continues its weekend in the bayou on Saturday, February 22, as the Nittany Lions proceed with day two of the LSU Invitational from Tiger Park on the campus of LSU. The Blue & White will battle the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the lid-lifter at Noon (ET), and follow that up with a 2:30 p.m. (ET) rematch with the Nicholls Colonels. Neither game will be available via live stream, but fans are encouraged to follow along with live stats from the links on the Penn State softball schedule webpage, in addition to following along with live updates and notes from the Nittany Lion softball social media channels on Instagram, Facebook and X.
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.