After a disappointing week with three straight losses, the softball team came back with something to prove. They’ve gone 5-1 since last Wednesday, including four straight wins in their series’ against Kent State and Buffalo.

In a doubleheader against Kent State last Wednesday, the Nittany Lions won 9-1 and 4-2. In the first game, the team totaled eleven hits, with Cassidy Bell and Lisa Akamine both tallying two hits and Alyssa Sovereign hitting a home run. Pitcher Jackie Hill got her thirteenth win of the season allowing only one earned run and striking out nine.

The second game was much closer and had to be settled in extra innings. The teams went into the eighth inning tied 2-2, but a walk off home run by Kailyn Johnson gave the team a 4-2 win over Kent State.

Only a day later, the women were able to sweep a doubleheader against Buffalo. In a rare occurrence, racking up a high number of hits did not translate into success. In game one, Buffalo had ten hits to Penn State’s five, but the combined effort of pitchers Hill and Akamine kept Buffalo from turning hits into runs, and Penn State won 4-3.

The next game saw a return to the idea that hits lead to runs which equal wins, as the softball team managed thirteen hits to Buffalo’s six and they won 7-4. In their fourth consecutive win, Akamine, Lauren Yao, and Danee Collett all had two hits, while Johnson had three.

Over the weekend the women traveled to Minneapolis to taken on Minnesota, losing on Saturday but winning on Sunday. In Saturday’s game, hits were scarce and the pitchers battled as Penn State lost 1-0. Sunday’s game was very similar, but Hill was able to shutout Minnesota despite giving up eight hits, leading the team to a 2-0 victory and a record of 23-17 on the year.

Today the Nittany Lions will compete against number one ranked Michigan at home in a doubleheader. Games are at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., but will also be aired on the Big Ten Network. If there was ever a good time to go see a game, today would be it.