Posted March 25, 2024 | Article by Caitlyn Brooks | Photo by Maddie Bader
Not only was the series against the Indiana Hoosiers a momentous occasion for coach Clarisa Crowell, who earned her 300th career win, but it also marked the first time since 2016 that the Nittany Lions completed a conference-opening series sweep.
Penn State came into its first conference matchup of the season versus Indiana after five straight wins in the invitational.
Penn State’s offense produced a combined 15 runs across three games. The power bats continue to produce as there were homers from Haylie Brunson and Maddie Gordon in game two and consistent extra-base hitting throughout the series.
While the offense continues to rank highly across the Big Ten, Penn State’s biggest asset leaving this series was its pitching and defense.
Through the three games at Beard Field, Penn State was able to hold Indiana to six runs to complete the series sweep.
A real star for the Nittany Lions’ pitching during the series was freshman Bridget Nemeth.
Through the three games this weekend, Nemeth combined for 16 innings while giving up three runs with eight strikeouts. Nemeth dominated in the opening game of the series, where she had a one-hit, 111-pitch complete game performance.
Nemeth will walk away from this series with a team-leading 1.09 ERA and a .92 WHIP.
“I think she did awesome,” coach Crowell said. “She threw 16 innings against a very good Indiana team… I’m just really proud of her.”
It wasn’t just Nemeth who contributed to Penn State’s pitching. Mady Volpe made two appearances, combining for two innings in the series, and Paige Maynard, on 10 days’ rest, started the final game of the series and threw three innings.
A lot of credit can also be given to the blue and white’s defense during the series behind all of the dominant pitching.
There were some defensive highlights made in the outfield during the entirety of the series, including some notable plays by Michela Barbanente and Liana Jones.
In the second game, Barabnente made a fantastic inning-ending, reaching-back grab in left field that prevented the runner on third from scoring.
In game three, Jones also made a huge play with a ball that went off the outfield wall and turned into a wild relay to mess up Indiana’s base running and prevent a run from scoring.
More praise from coach Crowell was centered around the outfield play, “the outfield was game-changing this weekend. They were making plays all over the place… they just did an awesome job,” Crowell said.
Looking ahead for the Nittany Lions, this is just the beginning of a young season with lots more conference play to come.
“Every series that we play, every opponent that we play, they’re going to be really good. So, our biggest thing is we’ve gotta make sure that we show up and bring the energy, the passion and the enthusiasm,” Crowell said.
Caitlyn Brooks is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email crb6283@psu.edu.
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