Despite dropping two games this past weekend, Penn State softball moved up two spots in Softball America’s national poll to No. 22.

The Nittany Lions’ weekend series in Tennessee included two shutout wins against Charleston Southern and N.C. Central, respectively, and a no-hitter. Following their 6-0 win on Friday afternoon, the Nittany Lions lost 4-1 to undefeated No. 1 Tennessee. Penn State led 1-0 for two innings, but lost its lead in the fifth.

It bounced back against Appalachian State with a 10-5 victory, but once again dropped their evening game to Tennessee, 3-1. Penn State cleaned up the five-game weekend, with a five-inning mercy-rule win over N.C. Central, 14-0. McKenna Young tossed the 16th no-hitter in Penn State history and now sits in the top-15 for earned-run average (ERA) in the Big Ten alongside teammates Bridget Nemeth, Brevyn Kellepouris, and Mackenzie Duncan.

The Nittany Lions have played exceptionally well this season; they garnered a ranked win last weekend against UCF and jumped into the national rankings at No. 24. The pitching staff has been a strong suit, having no problem limiting opposing teams’ bats. Penn State sits atop the Big Ten leaderboard with a team ERA of 2.03, and five pitchers rank in the top 25 for individual ERA.

Additionally, rookie phenom Allison Oneacre has helped propel the Penn State offense to the fourth-most runs in the Big Ten. Penn State bats have scored double-digit runs in eight games and have totaled five mercy-rule wins. Oneacre ranks third in the conference with 33 runs batted in and fourth in home runs with nine.

Penn State returns to action this weekend in Salem, Virginia, with another five-game series on the schedule. First pitch for Friday’s game against Radford is set for 3:30 p.m.