With two runners in scoring position and one out in the bottom of the third inning on Friday against the Badgers, Penn State coach Robin Petrini considered her options: Let one of her top hitters, junior Ashley Esparza, swing or bunt.

Shortly after Esparza received the OK to swing, she sent a bullet right into the shortstop's glove for a hard out.

"We had runners on second and third, and I got greedy, so I let her hit and she tattooed it," Petrini said. "I went up to her in one of those innings before she came up again, and I told her 'I wanted to squeeze you'. She's like 'Well, do it. I'll get it down'."

The situation presented itself once more in the bottom of the fifth inning. Runners stood on second and third, and after her first strike, Esparza stared down the line and was given the squeeze signal.

"It was kind of like a power squeeze," Esparza said. "She called it, and I was like 'OK, I'll do it'.

"It was a changeup, and I was like, 'Oh my God, I've got to bunt this,' but it worked out well, so it was good."

The Badger infield picked up the bunt, and went for the easy out at first, but an error on the first baseman led to runners on first and third and Penn State's second run of the game.

And in addition to her successful play in the box, Esparza performed exceptional in the circle.

Esparza relieved junior Jenn Reynolds after the fourth inning and was lights out, allowing no hits in the final three innings to pick up her second save of the season.

On Friday, Esparza pitched her sixth complete game for her seventh win.

Going into the final inning, Esparza made the game a little interesting. Penn State led 3-0 when Esparza scattered three hits. With runners on second and third, Petrini paid a visit to the circle.

"[She just told me] to calm down," Esparza said. "The first girl got a hit. We were ahead by three, so we kind of had a little bit of room. The girls that were on base really weren't a threat speed wise. We just went out and did what we did all game."

Just like in her decision to call the squeeze play, Petrini had confidence in Esparza and opted to have her pitch through the end of the game. Reynolds had been warming up in the bullpen, but Petrini knew Esparza could handle the Badger lineup, and she did. Esparza compiled a strike out and an easy groundout for the last two outs of Penn State's first Big Ten victory.

"I did think about [putting Reynolds in]...but Ashley was pitching well," Petrini said. "She was controlling them. They had one hit going into that inning, and then they put a couple of hits together. I just felt like she had control of that game and could win that game."