The game of softball can be won or lost with the smallest of decisions.

Penn State softball coach Robin Petrini likes to keep the catcher low on pitchouts. Iowa softball coach Gayle Blevins made the choice to have pitcher Lisa Birocci (15-6) pitch out in the more traditional baseball-type manner.

That decision backfired when Birocci attempted to intentionally walk Megan Humphrey and the second pitch went high and got away from the catcher, allowing Penn State senior Kelley Galigher to score the game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning.

The run gave the Nittany Lions (20-15, 4-4 Big Ten) a 3-2 win in the second game of their doubleheader, as they earned a split with the Hawkeyes (27-9, 5-2) after dropping game one, 4-1.

Earlier in the game Petrini made a similar decision to the one Blevins had to make when she chose to intentionally walk a Hawkeye batter. However, catcher Erica Greenberg, who played 17 solid innings, stayed down in the crouch and set up outside the plate.

"Intentional walks for pitchers are really hard because they have to slow down their motion," Petrini said. "When we intentionally walk, our catcher squats so that the pitcher is still throwing their regular pitch."

The inning was set up by Galigher's leadoff double to right field. Senior first basemen Erin Norton then sacrificed her to third to set the stage for the wacky ending on the pitchout.

After scoring the go-ahead run, junior pitcher Marisa Hanson (10-7) finished off the game with a 1-2-3 inning, capping a 10-inning performance. Hanson could have gotten rattled after she allowed a two-out, two-strike, game-tying homerun to Stacy May in the bottom of the seventh, but Hanson kept her cool.

"Obviously I was a little upset after that pitch, but it's not that big of a deal," Hanson said. "I was kind of relaxed. We got the run we needed so everything turned out fine."

Everything didn't turn out fine in the opener of the doubleheader. Sophomore Shana Riggleman (4-2) gave up a pair of two-run home runs, which led to all four Hawkeyes' runs.

The Lions ran into a buzzsaw in Birocci in game one, as she tossed her seventh one-hitter of the season while striking out 10 batters. She allowed two hits in her four relief innings in game two. She finished the day with 11 innings logged and three hits allowed.

Petrini was pleased with the split, considering the Lions were outhit 19-6 on the day. The split was their fourth in Big Ten play this season.

"The four splits that we have are big," Petrini said. "I think once we start hitting the ball again we will start taking doubleheaders. For the way we are swinging the bats right now, getting a split with these guys, I'll take that."