Nittany Lions drop Doubleheader at Ohio State on Tuesday

Columbus, OH Penn State softball battled but ultimately fell short in a midweek doubleheader against the Ohio State Buckeyes, dropping a 16-8 decision in the opener followed by a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the nightcap Tuesday at Buckeye Field.

Tuesday night's results in Columbus moved the Nittany Lions to 30-11 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten Conference competition in 2024. Ohio State improved to 23-17 and 5-9 in league play this season after their pair of wins on their home field. In the all-time series against the Buckeyes, Ohio State improved to 64-35 against the Blue & White, with OSU taking each of the last four meetings.

A trio of Nittany Lions posted multi-hit performances in the first game of the night, featuring junior Maddie Gordonsenior Gaby Garcia and junior Haylie Brunson completes the list of multi-hit artists. Gordon stood out in the lid lifter, launching her second collegiate grand slam in the top of the fifth inning, her first since putting one up at home against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last season. Garcia left the field with a solo shot in the top of the sixth, capping a 2-for-4 showing with a pair of runs scored. In game two, senior Emily Maddock recorded the game's only multi-hit performance, posting a 2-for-4 showing with a double, while Garcia padded her evening totals with an RBI single in the nightcap.

Freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth both starts in Tuesday's doubleheader, with the rookie saddled as the team's record pitcher with both losses. Nemeth pitched a complete game in the finale, surrendering just two earned runs to go along with an eight-strikeout, zero-walk performance. Junior Mady Volpe threw 2.2 frames in the opener and was effective in relief, allowing just two earned runs with three Ks in her only appearance of the night.

Ohio State started the doubleheader with a six-run bottom in the first inning and extended their lead to 11 points heading into the top of the fifth in game one. Looking for a response, a single by Garcia led to a remarkable inning of offensive effort from the Nittany Lions, culminating in a grand slam by Gordon. Despite a six-run inning by PSU, Ohio State was able to regroup and come away with the 16-8 score in six innings of play. In the top of the first inning of game two, Gordon opened things up with a single to left field on the third pitch of her at-bat, and Maddock laid down a perfect bunt single to land runners at first and second base with no outs . After a PSU pop-up, Garcia sent a nice single through the right side of the infield to bring in Gordon for the Nittany Lion's early lead. Despite six brilliant innings from Nemeth and the Nittany Lion defense, Ohio State was able to tie things up in the sixth and walk the game with an RBI double in the top of the seventh.

BEST NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (GAME ONE)
Maddie Gordon | 2-for-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, GRAND SLAM HR, BB
Gaby Garcia | 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, HR
Haylie Brunson | 2-for-3, R, BB

BEST NITTANY LION PERFORMERS (GAME TWO)
Emily Maddock | 2-for-4, 2B
Gaby Garcia | 1-for-3, RBI
Bridget Nemeth | 6.2 IP, 10H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 8K, 116TP

KEY FINDINGS (GAME ONE)
B1 | After the leadoff hitter grounded out, Taylor Heckman walked and Kami Kortokrax followed her with a single up the middle to put runners on first and second base. In the next at bat, Sam Hackenbracht hit a three-run shot over the fence in left field. McKenzie Bump kept things rolling with a single through the left side, and a walk by Jasmyn Burns again put runners on first and second base. After a PSU pitching change, a Buckeye struck out and batted away two, but Kirsten Eppele belted the frame's second three-run homer to left that gave Ohio State a six-run lead. OSU6, PSU0

T3 | Gordon led the top of the third inning with a single to center, and Maddock followed that up with a single up the middle to put runners on first and second base with no outs. Jones entered the box and delivered what appeared to be a sac-bunt, but the Buckeye third baseman overthrew the out at first base, allowing Gordon to score as Maddock advanced to third base and Jones stopped at second base. OSU6, PSU1

B3 | With one out on the board, Bump recorded her second hit of the game and left the yard over the right-center fence with a solo shot. OSU7, PSU1

B4 | Kortokrax walked with one out on the board, and Hackenbracht reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to third on a PSU throwing error, while Kortokrax completed the unearned trip around the bases. Bump then doubled to right center to bring Hackenbracht around. Burns singled through the left side in the next at bat, moving Bump to third base, and after a quick strikeout, Eppele tripled to right for two more scores. From there, Kaitlyn Farley singled to left toward Eppele. OSU 12, PSU 1

T5 | With one gone, Garcia sparked a Nittany Lion rally with a single to right field. A catch gave the Blues two goals, but a single up the middle by Brunson moved Garcia to second to keep the frame alive. Mendoza came in to pinch hit for PSU and hit an RBI single to left, plating Garcia and moving Brunson to second. Klosowicz pressured the bases with a walk on seven pitches, and Barbanente singled to left field to plate Brunson. Just then, Gordon entered the penalty box and hit the ball over the center wall for her second collegiate grand slam, closing the book on a six-run fifth inning. OSU 12, PSU 7

B5 | Heckman walked on five pitches, and Kortokrax launched an RBI double to right center for another Ohio State score. OSU 13, PSU 7

T6 | After seeing three pitches, Garcia crushed Ohio State's fourth offering over the wall into the side of a Buckeye Athletics building in left field. OSU 13, PSU 8

B6 | Hannah Church recorded a leadoff walk and Hannah Bryan came in first to pinch hit for her. Eppele hit a double to left field to put runners on the left side of the infield, and Farley hit a triple to right center to score Eppele and Bryan. Cortellitti recorded the walk-off hit down the left field line to plate Farley. OSU 16, PSU 8

KEY LINKINGS (GAME TWO)
T1 | Gordon led the game with a single to left field on the third pitch of her at-bat, and Maddock laid down a perfect bunt-single to put runners on first and second base with no outs. After a PSU pop-up, Garcia sent a nice single through the right side of the infield to bring in Gordon for the early Nittany Lion lead. PSU 1, OSU 0

B6 | Kortokrax singled to the PSU shortstop, but a flyout in the next at bat resulted in one being thrown out for the Buckeyes. Bump then sent a single to left, stranding runners on the right side of the infield. After Skylar Limon came to second to pinch-hit for Kortokrax, the Buckeyes struck out. A single up the middle by Eppele gave Limon the necessary time to reach home plate and tie the game. PSU 1, OSU 1

B7 | Farley led off the inning with a single to right center and Cortelletti executed a sac-bunt to advance Farley to second. Despite a scoring opportunity in the next at bat, Buckeye's walk was delayed until Kortokrax hit a double to left field, ending the runner. OSU 1, PSU 1

NEXT ONE

Penn State softball continues its grueling five-game Big Ten Conference road trip this weekend as the Nittany Lions take on the Wisconsin Badgers in a three-game series Friday through Sunday, April 19-21. All three games from the Goodman Softball Complex in Madison, Wisconsin, will stream to a global audience of verified subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS

For more information about Penn State softball, visit GoPSUSports.com. Fans can keep up with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball, as well as on Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.