Although the softball team managed just two wins in 17 games on its recent southwest road swing, Coach Sue Rankin still found something positive to talk about.

"We definitely grew together as a team," Rankin said. "With the number of freshmen and new people we have, it was important to see how they would work together. If they can handle the losses as well as they have and are still willing to come back and work on the things they have to work on, then that's a good sign."

"During our fall practices we were all in little groups," freshman Deb Wyttenbach said, "but during the trip we really came together as a team." "When we were in a game and someone made an error, we didn't get down, we supported each other."

One area the team has to work on is defensive consistency, Rankin said.

"We tended to lose concentration," she said. "They made fundamental defensive errors, both mentally and physically."

Although the Lady Lions hit the ball well, the team left too many runners on base, the head coach said.

"The hitting was better than I expected, but we didn't put the hits together," she said. "We have to be more proficient at moving runners into scoring position, working on the short game, bunting, and once we get them there, we have to be more effective at getting those runners across the plate."

Junior Cathy Kaminski and sophomore Kim Corbin, who were both injured last year, took care of the pitching duties very well, Assistant Coach Beth Perine said.

"I think the pitching was exceptional," she said. "For two pitchers to go 17 games as well as they did is exceptional. They were both ready to play and they both played very well. I didn't expect either one of them to pitch as much as they did. I was very impressed with both of them."

Kaminski picked up both of the club's victories, a 1-0 shutout over Southwest Texas and a 3-2 win over Nevada Las-Vegas.

But 17 games in 11 days did take its toll on the pair of hurlers.

"There were some signs of fatigue, and Kim has some soreness but it's not damaging," Perine said. "Any time two pitchers go 17 games, you expect soreness.

"By the last three days, even though they continued to pitch well, they certainly were tired," she added. "From the beginning to the end they got better and were throwing fewer pitches."

The Lady Lions were 2-7 in one-run games and stayed close with two Top 20 teams, dropping a 4-3 decision to No. 11 Minnesota and losing 3-2 to 10th-ranked Iowa State.

"We gained a lot of experience by playing against the teams from the West, and that will help us when we play our Atlantic 10 games," Wyttenbach said.

The Lady Lions will continue their endless series of road games on Mar. 22 when they travel to Bucknell for a doubleheader. Penn State will not play at home until April 11, hosting a twinbill against A-10 rival Temple.