It appeared as though the Penn State softball team would have some pleasantly warm weather for its first home game of the season, but as the sun dropped over the plethora of IM soccer games taking place across Park Avenue a chill befell notoriously nippy Nittany Lion Field.

The evening was still gorgeous for the Nittany Lions, though, because visiting St. Francis' (Pa.) bats were colder than the weather.

Missy Beseres faced just only 15 batters on her way to a perfect five-inning game in the first contest of last night's doubleheader.

The Nittany Lions never looked back, knocking off the Red Flash 12-0 in the opener and 13-0 in the second game to improve their record to 18-11.

Beseres started the first game in the circle and got off to a dominating start, blowing the first Red Flash batter away on four pitches and closing the first inning with another punch-out.

She went on to strike out the side in the second and fifth.

This was a sign of things to come, and Beseres notched 11 strikeouts despite facing the minimum on her way to the perfect game.

"I felt good warming up," Beseres said. "But the catchers did a good job on catching third strikes and that stuff, and my defense was great because obviously they had to field those ground balls."

The win improved the senior's record to 9-6 on the season.

The first-inning momentum carried into the home half on a leadoff homerun by Jen Acunto, her fourth of the year, on the first offering from St. Francis pitcher Jeanine Gargiulo.

Penn State went on to score five runs in the first and simply poured it on after that.

Not to be overshadowed by Beseres, Acunto put together quite a game herself, also driving a double in the third inning, and three more RBI in the fourth on another two-bagger.

The freshman shortstop went 5-for-6 on the evening.

"Our offense in general had a great night," Acunto said. "I couldn't have gotten those RBIs if the other girls weren't getting on base. I think when we reach base like we did tonight it gives the other hitters a lot of opportunities."

Penn State's defense was nearly as dominant in the nightcap, as Jenn Reynolds took her turn in the circle and gave up just one hit and fanned six in the five innings it took the Lions to dispose of the Red Flash.

Penn State again got on the board early, scoring four runs in the first inning, largely due to control problems for St. Francis hurler Ashley Harlan and shoddy defense from the Red Flash.

A two-run shot by Reynolds, her third of the year, helped her own cause.

Acunto's freshman classmates Hollee Haines and Rebecca Bautista also got into the act, both adding blasts of their own in the third inning.

Haines went the other way to knock her second of the year over the right field wall.

Bautista yanked her's to left for her first career home run.