Jigsaw-esque, this weekend showcases two baseball teams trying to slide everything into the proper spot.

By beating Duquesne in their mid-week game, the Nittany Lions (9-21, 3-5 Big Ten) put together consecutive wins for just the second time this season. By winning at 3 p.m. today at Beaver Field against Michigan State (15-13, 4-4), Penn State would have its first three-game winning streak of the year.

"It should be interesting getting that first winning streak, and I'm pretty confident we're going to get it with a win on Friday," Lions shortstop Scott Gaffney said.

Heading into the four-game series, the club carries a newfound confidence. Glancing at the Spartans' current situation also helps.

Looking into the right-field dugout, this Penn State ballclub can see where it was a year ago.

With a new coach, the Spartans are trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Like the 2005 Penn State team, Michigan State hovers just around .500 looking to bring its program into national prominence.

"They're having their ups and downs. They're struggling at times," Penn State baseball coach Robbie Wine said. "They're turning things over similar to what we did last year."

As the Big Ten churns, Michigan State holds a one-game advantage on Penn State. Entering the third week of conference play, the standings resemble a logjam -- third and ninth places are separated by two games.

Heading to second-place Northwestern next weekend, these four games are particularly important for Penn State, as it is currently tied for eighth in a race where only six teams make it to the conference tournament.

"It's very crucial, and we have to play well. We'll play well for four games and see what happens," Wine said. "I think we have a good chance of coming out of here with some wins and getting back in the pack."

Wrapping up the nine-game homestand, Wine's goal is to assemble what he's had strewn before him. The lineup and pitchers have come together of late, but the fielding has not been fluid. A porous defense has committed waves of errors, and one error has seemed to open the floodgates. A barrage of miscues in the losses to Minnesota cost the Lions the early game last Saturday and made the Sunday contest a lot closer than it had to be. Against the Dukes, the problems persisted.

Gaffney committed two errors Wednesday and had several over the weekend, upping his total to 14 on the year, negating his normally solid glove-work.

Wine said the best solution to the woes is water, specifically rain. The field dried up in the absence of a typical State College spring downpour, providing for awkward hops for infielders like Gaffney.

The rain Wednesday night and yesterday's brief thunderstorm should soften the field just enough to slow the ball down in the grass and level out coarse infield.

"Even today with the rain we had last night, the field's playing 10 times better," Wine said standing underneath yesterday's looming storm. "We're just jelling. Our team is coming together. The defense will be OK if we keep water on the field and the hops true."