Pitching and defense win championships, but it takes at least a moderate offense to stay out of the cellar.

The Penn State softball team will battle Minnesota (12-21, 1-7 Big Ten) to climb out of the basement this weekend in a two-game set the first game starting at 6 tonight and the series conclusion beginning at noon tomorrow.

Both Penn State and Minnesota sit at the bottom of the Big Ten, not only in record but also in offensive production. In conference games, Penn State has scored 15 runs through eight games. The small amount of run production barely beats out the bottom dwellers, Purdue (14) and Minnesota (13). Not surprisingly, the three teams rest at the bottom of the conference.

When a team's back is against the wall, as Penn State's is right now, only pleasant surprises lie ahead. The

Nittany Lions (23-11, 1-7), once thought of as a potential dark horse to win the conference, have been cast aside.

The long staircase Penn State must climb to get from the basement to the attic in the Big Ten begins with Minnesota. After a poor start in the conference, the battle will be one that Penn State can not afford to lose.

The Lions are still undefeated (16-0) when scoring first and will need to make that a priority against the Golden Gophers this weekend.

The lack of early-inning scoring is of no fault to Penn State's leadoff hitter, Jen Williams. Through eight games in the conference, Williams has batted .391 with an on-base percentage of .419, and leads the team in both categories.

Williams was caught off guard after hearing the news that she led the team in average. She asked her coaches not to tell her about her statistics so she could just focus on the thing that every lead-off hitter should focus on.

"I do whatever it takes [to get on base] so the rest of the team can knock me around. That's my job," Williams said.

A prototypical leadoff hitter, the left fielder was blessed with speed and has used it to her advantage to lead the team with 12 steals. Since conference play began, however, Williams has been caught in her only two attempts.

"I love stealing bases, and I know I can do it," Williams said. "It comes down to the situation we're in and coach calling it though."

Yesterday, the Lions waited 25 minutes in the dugout as a mid-afternoon thunderstorm drenched the playing field. Much like that storm, the first half of the Penn State Big Ten schedule has been a wash.

The watery practice showed the passionate determination of the Penn State squad to return to a state of prominence.

With only 12 games left on the Big Ten schedule, Penn State finds itself six games back of conference leader Michigan State who is a perfect 6-0. Even with nine teams to leapfrog, Williams said Penn State refuses to say die until they have been mathematically eliminated from the top of the conference.

"Before the year started, we set goals and one of our goals was to be at the top. It sucks we aren't there," Williams said. "We just need to relax and have fun, but I think we have a shot."