UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball closed out the regular season portion of its 60th anniversary campaign on Sunday afternoon, dropping an 8-0 decision to the Washington Huskies in five innings of play from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
Following the 11th all-time meeting between the Nittany Lions and Huskies on the diamond, Washington improved to 34-16 overall through its 50-game regular season and coupled that with a 12-9 ledger against Big Ten Conference foes in their inaugural season in the league. The Huskies are mathematically guaranteed the No. 7 seed in this week’s Big Ten Tournament, which begins Wednesday. In defeat, PSU drops to 24-26 through the conclusion of the 2025 regular season and owns a 10-12 finish in the B1G heading into the league’s postseason this week. Washington now boasts a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series which dates to the 2002 campaign.
PSU saw a pair of student-athletes record hits on the day, with sophomore second baseman Michela Barbanente and sophomore shortstop Kaylie Walters leading the charge for the Penn State offense. Barbanente, a native of Itasca, Illinois, now boasts the longest active hitting streak on the Nittany Lion squad with four consecutive contests logging at least one knock. Walters, a Philadelphia native, closed the book on a stellar weekend in the batter’s box against Washington, adding at least one hit in each game of the series while hitting a combined .571 against the Huskies overall. In the circle, senior lefty Lydia Spalding booked the most efficient outing for the Blue & White, tossing a pair of innings while scattering two hits and allowing a single earned run, adding a strikeout and zero walks across her 29 total offerings.
Penn State rookie right-hander Abigail Britton earned the start on Sunday afternoon and helped steer the Nittany Lion defense through a scoreless opening frame that featured a single Washington knock. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions were unable to get anything started in the home half of the first, and the Huskies were able to jump out in front with a three-run homer in the top of the second. Barbanente looked to spark a PSU reply in the home half but was ultimately left stranded on first base. Washington utilized solo shots in the top of the third and fourth innings to lurch ahead by a five-run differential and capitalized on a three-hit fifth frame to add three more tallies and come away with the 8-0 result via the run rule in five innings of work.
The Nittany Lions turn their attention to the 2025 Big Ten Conference Softball Tournament presented by DirecTV, which will begin with first round action on Wednesday, May 7, from Bittinger Stadium on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Penn State is mathematically guaranteed to finish no lower than 11th in the 12-team conference postseason field, ensuring PSU’s fourth consecutive trip to the league’s tournament. The program’s fourth consecutive trip to the B1G Tournament matches the second-longest Big Ten postseason streak in program history, with the only longer conference tournament streak coming in five-straight bids from 2013 to 2017.
TOP NITTANY LION PERFORMERS
Michela Barbanente | 1-for-2, 1B
Kaylie Walters | 1-for-2, 1B
Lydia Spalding | 2.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K, 29TP
KEY INNINGS
T2 | With one out on the board, Charity Sevaaetasi smacked a single through the left side of the infield on the first pitch of her at-bat. Madi Balk entered to pinch run at first base, and Jade Bubke kept the offense going with a walk that placed runners on the right side. A strikeout put two away, but Riley Peschek was able to lift her second home run of 2025 over the fence in center field to give the Huskies a three-run advantage. WASH 3, PSU 0
T3 | On the first Nittany Lion offering of the third inning, Alexis DeBoer tallied her 19th home run of the season with a solo shot to left center. WASH 4, PSU 0
T4 | After a pair of outs popped on the board for the Huskies, DeBoer recorded her second home run of the ballgame and 20th in her 2025 campaign with another solo shot, this time pulled over the scoreboard in left. WASH 5, PSU 0
T5 | Following a PSU pitching change, Giselle Alvarez booked a leadoff double to the left-center gap. An out popped onto the board following a routine fly ball, but a double off the bat of Bubke to left field gave Alvarez time to come around. Gabi Toney pinch hit and drew a walk, but Peschek put a ball in play that saw her take over, Toney thrown out at second and Bubke advance to third. Peschek stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position, and Jadyn Glab roped a two-out two-RBI double to left center that put the Huskies in run-rule territory. WASH 8, PSU 0
UP NEXT
Penn State softball prepares to enter the 2025 postseason next Wednesday, May 7, as the Nittany Lions travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, for the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament at Bittinger Stadium on the campus of Purdue University. Penn State’s opening matchup will air via the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App on connected devices, with first pitch time and opponent to be determined following the conclusion of the 2025 regular season this weekend across the conference.
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