With the game already in extra innings, Penn State left fielder Scarlett Neal strolled to the plate with the bases loaded, looking for one pitch to hit.

The pitch she picked was the third of her at bat and she ripped a hard ground ball back up the middle, scoring Meghan Wolfer and giving the Nittany Lions a 2-1 win, their first in the Big Ten.

"Any time you get a conference win, it's big," Penn State softball coach Robin Petrini said. "No game is bigger than another."

The win sparked Penn State (14-21, 2-2 Big Ten) and helped the team start the weekend on the right foot. The Lions pulled out another close win against Wisconsin (19-16, 1-3), 3-2 on Saturday, but dropped both games of a doubleheader yesterday to Minnesota (22-11, 3-1) 3-0 and 5-2.

Penn State was carried on Friday night by the arm of redshirt junior Missy Beseres.

Beseres pitched all eight innings and recorded the Penn State single-game record for strikeouts with 14.

"It's great to set a record," Beseres said. "I had no idea. But it's more important we won."

Wisconsin took notice of how well Beseres changed up her pitches and kept the Badgers guessing. Wisconsin managed to scatter just three hits and scored its lone run on a solo home run by Anastasia Miller in the top of the sixth.

"She mixed up her balls well and kept us off balance," Wisconsin softball coach Karen Gallagher said. "She did her job."

On the mound Saturday was a familiar face for the Lions as Beseres got the call against the Badgers for a second straight game.

A trio of freshmen provided the offense for Beseres as Jen Williams, Meghan Wolfer and Kari Lucas each had solid games, finishing with two hits and one RBI.

The doubleheader yesterday proved to be trouble for Penn State as the team welcomed the Golden Gophers to Happy Valley.

The Lions couldn't generate any offense against Minnesota's Piper Marten, who Friday night against Ohio State became only the third pitcher in Big Ten history to record 1,000 career strikeouts.

She held Penn State to just three hits and earned a 3-0 complete-game shutout.

However, the Lions needed to look past the first game and focus on the second as they faced Marten for a second straight game.

Penn State looked to have things under control and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Things began to fall apart for the Lions in the fifth inning when an error by shortstop Barbie Pierce allowed the floodgates to open and the Golden Gophers to capitalize with four runs to grab a 5-2 lead.

Five runs were all Marten needed and she cruised through the final two innings, earning her second win of the day.

"I liked the two wins, I didn't like the two losses," Petrini said. "We have to make plays. [Minnesota] came up with hits, we didn't. We have a lot to work on."