Fifteen games in 10 days may seem overwhelming to most teams, but it was just what the Penn State softball team needed to get its season rolling.

The Nittany Lions (9-15) found the winning touch as they traveled south for spring break, winning seven games in two Florida tournaments, including a third-place finish at the Seminole Challenge. The Lions added one more win in a doubleheader against Troy State.

"We had a chance to get our offense going and score some runs," Penn State softball coach Robin Petrini said. "We're starting to get our legs under us."

Problems against ranked teams continued for the Lions as they lost 7-1 to No. 12 Louisiana-Lafayette, which they followed with an 8-0 loss to No. 6 Florida State in the first two games of the Seminole Challenge. Penn State only managed two hits on the day, including Leigh Murray's third home run of the season, which was the team's only run.

"At this time [ranked opponents] are just better then us," Petrini said. "We haven't been able to chip away at that block."

Day two saw the Lions pick up their play as they downed St. John's 5-2 and then beat Connecticut 3-1 to move into the third-place game of the tournament. Murray once again provided the offense against St. John's, hitting two doubles and knocking in two runs.

The offense gave Marisa Hanson her first win of the season against UConn.

Standing in the Lions' way of a third-place finish was Rhode Island. A run for Penn State in the first inning and two more in the second proved to be all the team needed as it finished the weekend with third-place honors. Both Wolfer and Murray were named to the all-tournament team.

Before competing in the Florida State Invitational, Penn State played four more games, winning against UConn, Florida A&M, and splitting a doubleheader with Troy State. The loss to Troy State ended a six-game winning streak for Penn State.

Penn State lost its first two games of the Florida State Invitational, 3-0 to No. 19 Nebraska and 2-0 to Florida A&M.

The second day of the tournament saw Penn State bounce back to win its next two games, against North Carolina and St. Louis. The Lions' 2-2 record earned them a spot in the eight-team championship bracket, but a familiar group of faces stopped them in their tracks as Nebraska beat the Lions for the second time in as many days.

Despite hanging tough, Penn State closed its spring break play with a 1-0 loss to Notre Dame yesterday.