UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Heading into their first Big Ten home series, the Nittany Lions were looking to improve a 2-1 conference record and add more big wins to their in-conference resume. The opponent, the 25th ranked Wisconsin Badgers, would surely not walk onto Beard Field ready to hand over three wins, and Penn State knew that meant a big weekend laid ahead of them.
While the Nittany Lions fought hard every inning, they would not end the series the way they wanted, dropping all three games to a power-hitting Wisconsin lineup. Resiliency, however, kept the Nittany Lions alive and motivated all weekend long.
"We've got to start better," Penn State head coach Amanda Lehotak said. "The game is a very humbling game and I know that this team has proven that when they get mad they are only going to work harder."
After dropping Friday's game one 13-0, Penn State certainly came back on Saturday ready to work harder. The Nittany Lions snagged an early 1-0 lead off a home run by freshman Chelsea Bisi.
Bisi came to the Nittany Lions with an impressive resume and is no stranger to tough games. She led Derry Area High School in batting average, on-base percentage, doubles, triples, and home runs all three years she played on the varsity squad in high school before heading to State College. She was also team MVP and offensive MVP, and was named a USA Today Player of the Week. At the end of the weekend series she now has six homers on the year and is second on the squad with a .319 batting average.
Despite the early lead, a third inning stint by the Badgers brought them back, taking their first lead of the game 2-1. A late-sixth inning effort then put Penn State in striking distance, tying it 2-2 off a ground-out RBI by Claire Swedberg that scored Dani Fey.
"When we come out and show those innings we have that spark and have the momentum that we can play with any team in this conference and any team in this country," junior Delaney Elling said.
While the spark at the plate helped, the standout performance, however, was in the circle. Hannah Shields pitched just over six solid innings for the Nittany Lions, allowing no walks and recording three strikeouts on the afternoon.
"She really brought that extra level of maturity," Lehotak said. "I thought she had an amazing performance yesterday, certainly good enough to win but we couldn't get the bats rolling."
Shields is a junior from State College, Pennsylvania, however, the hometown girl started her collegiate career at Delaware State University. She led the Hornets in both wins and ERA her freshman and sophomore seasons, earning MEAC All-Tournament first team as a rookie. She's used that experience in the circle for Penn State.
Trying to keep the momentum of game two going, the Nittany Lions suffered a tough first inning in game three, where the Badgers were able to capitalize and grab an early nine-run lead.
"A game like that, obviously that is not the start we wanted," senior Tori Dubois said. "We are never a team that is not going to fight, roll over, and let them win."
The Nittany Lions only allowed three more runs in the next four innings, while adding three runs for themselves in a late fourth inning fight back.
With a young team composed of 10 new players, Penn State is looking to find its rhythm in the conference and show, if anything, that this squad is ready to compete. A series loss is certainly not what the Nittany Lions wanted, but the will to keep going is what could change the tune of this team's season.
"Today doesn't define us," Lehotak said. "It's about getting better and getting back to who we are."
Penn State is 17-17 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten conference play. The Nittany Lions take on St. Francis in a doubleheader on Wednesday starting at 5 p.m. They then hit the road to face Big Ten opponent Purdue in a three-game series in West Lafayette, Indiana.
