PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The University of Pennsylvania softball team opened their 2026 home season against North Dakota on Wednesday, falling to the visiting Fighting Hawks, 10-1


Quaker Notemeal
* Megan Huang had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-3 as Penn's lone multi-hit player.

* Kelly Zybura had a season-high seven punchouts in this one, bringing her season total to 34.

* Gigi Ganje delivered an RBI in her tenth game of 2026 against the Fighting Hawks.

How It Happened
The game started out very strong for the Quakers defensively. Senior pitcher Kelly Zybura opened her outing by sitting down the top of the order in the first and keeping that momentum into the second and third, where she did not allow a run.
 
Things began to come apart a bit in the fourth, when the Fighting Hawks were the first to tally on the day with an RBI single. Chloe Bethune then busted the game open with a 2 RBI triple before a wild pitch would score one more before the inning's end.
 
Penn's best chance to level the score came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Quakers had second and third with two down. A groundout, however, would dash their hopes and carry into the remaining innings, where North Dakota would fire five more on the board in the seventh.
 
Penn was able to make some noise in the bottom of the seventh when sophomore Gigi Ganje brought in a run with an RBI fielder's choice.
 
Up Next
The Quakers will play host to St. Peter's in the season's first double header Saturday.