Home not-so-sweet Home: Penn State softball loses first game at home to Ohio State

Not quite a comeback: Penn State fell short in its first matchup against Ohio State, falling 9-5 with unsuccessful late-game attempts.

It was a competitive battle from the beginning, though scoreless through the first. The Buckeyes crossed the plate first in the second inning after Mady Volpe hit an Ohio State batter, driving in a run.

Things were shaky for the Penn State bullpen, and Volpe struggled to settle in against an offensively sound Buckeye lineup.

The senior pitcher threw over 80 pitches in the first three innings, calling for a reliever. Ohio State was able to sneak another run across in the third to extend its lead to 2-0.

Disaster struck in the top of the fourth for the Nittany Lions as the Buckeyes tallied six runs in an explosive inning.

Jiselle Hernandez was on the mound hoping to silence Ohio State’s offense, but Taylor Cruse took Hernandez’s second pitch over the fence.

The carousel of pitchers was spinning, and Penn State looked back to Mady Volpe to reenter the game to close out the inning.

“We needed a changeup and a rise ball,” head coach Clarisa Crowell said. “And Mady does that.”

Despite the lack of success from the mound, multiple Nittany Lions were solid at the plate.

In the bottom of the fourth, Maddie Gordon kicked off a two-out rally with a single to center field. Michela Barbanente crushed a two-run homer off the scoreboard, chipping away at Ohio State’s lead, 8-2.

“We needed that,” Crowell said. “She had a great swing on the ball and helped us score some runs that we needed to score.”

Kaylie Walters walked, yet Penn State could not score another run, leaving another key runner on base.

Lydia Spalding entered the circle for the fifth inning and kept the Buckeyes quiet, allowing just one walk.

Penn State struggled to generate any offense during the bottom of the inning with just a lone single from Haylie Brunson.

The sixth inning was quiet all around. However, a lone walk from the Nittany Lions extended to the left on base total, proving detrimental to the score heading into the seventh.

After hits from Cruse and Hadley Parisien, Ohio State tacked on another run before Penn State could respond, heading into the final side 9-2.

It was crunch time.

Started by a Jordan George walk, the Nittany Lions looked to claw back some runs. Consecutive hits and walks loaded the bases, allowing pinch runner Jenna Nelson to score on a wild pitch.

The queen of doubles was back up to the plate, as Klosowicz doubled to center, setting a new single-season record for doubles with 19. In addition to the milestone, the slugger boosted the score to 9-5.

However, the comeback wasn’t long enough.

After a pitching change, the Nittany Lions struggled to adjust in the box, ending the late inning attempts a few runs short.

Meghan Strange is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email mgs5649@psu.edu.