The Penn State softball team defeated Rutgers 8-0 on March 27, led by strong offensive and pitching performances at the Rutgers Softball Complex.
The win marks Penn State’s 21st victory of the season, improving their record to 21-11 overall and 2-5 in Big Ten Conference play. This result also extends Penn State’s advantage in their long-standing rivalry with Rutgers, now holding a 44-30 all-time record against the Scarlet Knights.
Junior pitchers Bridget Nemeth and McKenna Young combined for a two-hit shutout, while the offense produced its eleventh double-digit hit game of the year. Freshman shortstop Allison Oneacre made history with her second multi-home run game as a rookie, becoming “the first Nittany Lion in program history to record two multi-homer efforts in their true freshman season.” Oneacre is up to thirteen home runs this season, tying the program’s single-season freshman record set by Chelsea Bisi in 2019.
Other notable contributions came from junior right fielder Frankee Flesher, who recorded her first collegiate multi-hit game and extra-base hit. Sophomore center fielder Natalie Lieto added a home run, while junior second baseman Michela Barbanente contributed a triple. In pitching, Nemeth allowed only one hit over two innings before Young entered for five innings of relief with six strikeouts and no runs allowed.
Key moments included three runs scored by Penn State in the third inning following Oneacre’s first home run and additional scoring bursts fueled by extra-base hits throughout subsequent innings. The series continues on Saturday with another matchup scheduled at Rutgers Softball Complex.
