UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Aided by a multi-hit performance from senior right fielder Haylie Brunson and seven combined free passes from the visiting pitching staff, Penn State softball churned out an impressive 7-5 victory over the Big Ten-newcomer Washington Huskies on Saturday afternoon from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
The Blue & White celebrated their Senior Day presented by the Penn State Alumni Association prior to the game, with Brunson joining fifth-year first baseman Meagan Ricks, as well as third baseman Maddie Gordon, pitchers Lydia Spalding and Mady Volpe, and pinch hitter Lydia Coleman in a pregame ceremony honoring their time in Happy Valley. Penn State’s six seniors have played a pivotal role in the program’s resurgence on the national stage, with the 2025 roster becoming the most prolific offense in school history thanks in large part to their efforts. Five of PSU’s six Senior Day honorees helped steer the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance a season ago, with the class combining to participate in 122 victories since first setting foot in University Park.
Penn State’s prolific offense continued its impressive stretch of performances on Saturday afternoon, with the Blue & White amassing seven total runs on eight hits, adding four walks and three hit-by-pitches on the day. Brunson, a native of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, celebrated her senior day with a 2-for-4 showing that marked her 16th multi-hit outing of her final collegiate season. Brunson added an RBI to her final tally as well, lacing a hard-hit single in the bottom of the first inning that plated a PSU run. Ricks, a native of Winter Haven, Florida, booked a remarkably efficient senior day with a 1-for-2 performance that included an RBI double, a walk and hit-by-pitch. Sophomore utility Brooke Klosowicz logged yet another double to improve upon her single-season program record in the category following her 22nd of the year on Saturday, while sophomore Gianna Poletti rounded out the trio of Penn Staters with extra-base knocks following her first double of 2025 in the third inning.
In the circle, the Nittany Lions saw a quality start from freshman right-hander Abigail Britton, as the LaVale, Maryland, native tossed a trio of frames and scattered three hits with two earned runs against her final line. Spalding, a senior southpaw out of Austintown, Ohio, logged her fifth victory of her 2025 season after tossing 2.0 innings in relief of Britton, yielding a hit and a single unearned run with zero walks and a strikeout. Volpe entered to toss the final 2.0 innings in the circle, allowing two hits and an unearned run in the form of a solo homer by Washington in the top of the seventh inning. Volpe earned credit for the save after entering the game with a lead of three-or-less, marking her second save of the year and second in the last week for the Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native.
Despite Washington leaping ahead by a 2-0 margin through the first half-inning of play, the Blue & White were able to snap back with a dominant five-run inning that included two hits, two Husky errors, two passed balls and five combined free passes to help guide the Nittany Lions to a 5-2 lead through the first inning of play. Washington was able to capitalize on a pair of quick Penn State defensive miscues in the top of the second, utilizing a bloop single to right field to drive in an unearned tally that made it a 5-3 affair through a dramatic opening inning and a half. PSU saw a leadoff double from Klosowicz in the bottom of the second that brought her program-record single-season doubles tally up to 22, but neither team was able to complete a trip home heading into the home half of the third.
With Penn State working ahead by a 5-3 edge, Walters entered the box as PSU’s leadoff hitter in the home half of the third, laying down a perfectly placed bunt for a first-pitch infield single. A blast off the bat of Poletti sailed deep into left field, falling less than a foot shy of escaping the yard. Poletti’s hit ricocheted off the wall for an RBI double, allowing Walters to complete her journey from first base all the way back home. A quiet fourth inning saw PSU preserve its three-run lead, but Washington was able to scratch another unearned run across in the top of the third to apply some pressure. Unfazed after falling behind 0-2 in the count, Seidel snuck a single through the right side of the infield just beneath the Washington first baseman’s glove to lead off the bottom of the fifth. A popup put one away, and a fielder’s choice saw Poletti take over at first with Seidel out at second to put a pair of outs on the board. Another Washington passed ball saw Poletti take second base, and a pristine double to right field from Ricks in an 0-2 count saw Poletti complete her journey home. Washington attempted a two-out seventh-inning rally with a solo shot, but a routine 5-3 groundout put an end to the Huskies hopes as Penn State took the middle game of the series by a 7-5 differential.
Following the 10th all-time meeting between Penn State and Washington on the diamond, the Nittany Lions were able to snap an eight-game losing streak that dates to the second-ever meeting of the two programs. The Blue & White logged their second win over the Huskies all-time and improved to 2-8 against Washington, with the last victory coming in a 4-3 neutral site result in Columbus, Georgia on February 22, 2002. Penn State climbed to 24-25 overall and 10-11 in Big Ten Conference play following Saturday’s series-tying matchup, with PSU booking double digits in the B1G win column for the fourth consecutive season. PSU’s four-straight B1G seasons with at least 10 conference victories stands as a program record, with the Nittany Lions previously mustering consecutive double-digit winning B1G campaigns on just two prior occasions. Washington drops to 33-16 overall and 11-9 in their inaugural Big Ten season heading into Sunday’s rubber match in Happy Valley.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Haylie Brunson | 2-for-4, R, RBI, 2 1B
Meagan Ricks | 1-for-2, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, HBP
Lydia Spalding | 2.0 IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K, 36TP, WIN
Mady Volpe | 2.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 0K, 32TP, SAVE
KEY INNINGS
T1 | Leadoff hitter Jadyn Glab drew a walk on five pitches and advanced to second moments later following a productive groundout. Alexis DeBoer mustered an RBI double off the wall in left field to bring Glab around, and another double down the third base line by Alycia Flores brought DeBoer in to give the Huskies an early two-run advantage. WASH 2, PSU 0
B1 | Free passes and defensive miscues plagued the Huskies in the home half of the first, allowing the Blue & White to spring ahead by a 5-2 margin. Ricks drew a leadoff walk for PSU to open her senior day showing, taking second on a passed ball moments later. A hit-by-pitch drawn by Gordon placed runners on the right side, and after a strikeout put one out on the board, both Penn Staters took 60 more feet via another passed ball. From there, Brunson zipped a hard-hit single toward the Washington shortstop, advancing to second on a throwing error by the Husky left fielder while Ricks scored and Gordon moved to third. A hit-by-pitch for Lieto loaded the bases, and a single toward the first baseman by Barbanente netted another tally while keeping the bases juiced. A ball-in-play from Seidel netted an RBI and a Washington fielding error, plating Brunson, with an RBI walk for Walters following shortly thereafter to add another score. A litany of defensive changes for Washington helped generate a swinging strikeout that put two down, but another free pass in the form of a hit-by-pitch for ricks brought Barbanente home, unearned. PSU 5, WASH 2
T2 | Back-to-back errors by the Nittany Lions saw Tia Durst and Jade Bubke take over at first and third, with Bubke stealing second moments later to put a pair of runners in scoring position. A walk drawn by Glab loaded the bases, and a single to short right field by Ava Carroll brought Durst aboard for the unearned score. PSU 5, WASH 3
B3 | Walters entered the box as PSU’s leadoff hitter in the home half of the third, laying down a perfectly placed bunt for a first-pitch infield single. A blast off the bat of Poletti sailed deep into left field, falling less than a foot shy of escaping the yard. Poletti’s hit ricocheted off the wall for an RBI double, allowing Walters to complete her journey from first all the way back home. PSU 6, WASH 3
T5 | With one down, Flores reached base via a Penn State throwing error and advanced to second in the commotion. Giselle Alvarez stepped up to bat and worked a 2-0 count before smacking a single into right field to bring Flores around to score and make it a two-run game. PSU 6, WASH 4
B5 | After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Seidel snuck a single through the right side of the infield just beneath the Washington first baseman’s glove. A popup put one away, and a fielder’s choice saw Poletti take over at first with Seidel out at second to put a pair of outs on the board. Another Washington passed ball saw Poletti take second base, and a pristine double to right field from Ricks in an 0-2 count saw Poletti complete her journey home. PSU 7, WASH 4
T7 | Washington attempted to spark a two-out, seventh-inning rally as Alvarez booked her second hit of the ballgame in the form of a solo homer to right field, but a routine 5-3 groundout put an end to the Huskies hopes as Penn State took the middle game of the series by a 7-5 differential. PSU 7, WASH 5
UP NEXT
Penn State softball concludes its 61st regular season and will wrap up its Big Ten Conference weekend series against the Washington Huskies on Sunday, May 4, with first pitch between the two teams slated for 1 p.m. (ET) at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The contest will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. Fans are invited to tune into the live stat feed of the game via the StatBroadcast link available on the Penn State softball schedule webpage or follow along with the team’s social media channels for the most up-to-date information.
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.