The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Saint Francis Red Flash 12-0 in five innings on April 21, marking the last NCAA Division I matchup between the two softball programs. The game, held at Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field, was highlighted by a decisive 10-run second inning that featured three home runs from Penn State.
This game concluded an in-state rivalry that began in 1990 and spanned fifty meetings. With this win, Penn State improved to a season record of 29-17 while Saint Francis dropped to 4-37-1. Over their history as Division I opponents, Penn State recorded forty-one victories against nine for Saint Francis. The Red Flash’s run as a Division I program will end after the current academic year.
The Nittany Lions’ offense delivered ten hits with six going for extra bases. Junior Michela Barbanente led with a career-high three hits, two runs scored, three runs batted in (RBI), a home run and a stolen base. Frankee Flesher matched her career high with two hits and set a new personal best with three runs scored. Additional home runs came from Natalie Lieto—her eleventh of the season—Cara Bohner and Madison Seidel, both recording their first homers of the year.
On defense, Penn State’s pitching staff combined for one of its strongest performances this season by allowing only one hit over five shutout innings. Bridget Nemeth started with two scoreless innings before Mackenzie Duncan took over for another two frames and earned her sixth win of her rookie campaign. Abigail Britton closed out the game facing just three batters and striking out two.
The key moment came during the bottom of the second inning when Penn State broke open a scoreless game by scoring ten runs on several timely hits including Barbanente’s opposite-field home run and Seidel’s two-run blast to left-center field.
Looking ahead, Penn State prepares for its penultimate week of Big Ten Conference play against Illinois from April 24 through April 26.
