University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
5-5
Penn State
8-2
Pitt Falls to Penn State
2/15/2026 3:44:00 PM | Softball
HOUSTON, Texas — Pitt dropped an 11–2 decision to Penn State on Sunday afternoon to close out the Houston Invitational.
The Panthers jumped on the board early, stringing together quality at-bats in the top of the first. Tieley Vaughn sparked the rally with a double, and Calle Henne followed with a single up the middle to put runners on the corners. Gracie Helton brought home the first run with an RBI single, and KK Esparza added a sacrifice fly to give Pitt a 2–0 advantage.
Penn State responded in the bottom of the inning, using a two-RBI double from Macy Chamberlin to even the score at 2–2.
The game swung decisively in the bottom of the second, as Penn State plated eight runs on three home runs, a double, and a Pitt error to take a 10–2 lead. The Nittany Lions added another run later in the bottom of the third to seal the win.
Pitt finished with five hits on the day, led by Vaughn's double and Helton's RBI single, but was unable to mount another rally after the opening frame.
The Panthers return to action next week as they continue their nonconference slate.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kellepouris, Brevyn (1-0)
L: Sparks, Gwen (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Vaughn, Tieley 1
RBI: Helton, Gracie 1 ; Esparza, KK 1
SF: Esparza, KK 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vaughn, Tieley 1 ; Henne, Calle 1
HBP: Helton, Gracie 1
Batting:
2B: Chamberlin, Macy 1 ; Hanik, Breanna 1
HR: Oneacre, Allison 1 ; Lieto, Natalie 1 ; Klosowicz, Brooke 1
RBI: Bohner, Cara 1 ; Chamberlin, Macy 2 ; Hanik, Breanna 1 ; Oneacre, Allison 1 ; Lieto, Natalie 3 ; Klosowicz, Brooke 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Barbanente, Michela 1 ; Walters, Kaylie 1 ; Bohner, Cara 1 ; Hanik, Breanna 1 ; Oneacre, Allison 2 ; Lieto, Natalie 1 ; Finarelli, Kirsten 1 ; Klosowicz, Brooke 3
HBP: Finarelli, Kirsten 1
