A weekend split with No. 7 Northwestern was enough to make the Penn State softball team happy, as the Nittany Lions (19-13, 3-1 Big Ten) capped off yesterday's doubleheader with a 6-5 victory after dropping the first game, 2-0, in Evanston, Ill.

In the first contest, junior Ashley Esparza threw a complete game for the Lions with 10 strikeouts, but a run in the first frame and a solo home run in the sixth inning was enough for the Wildcats to shut out the Lions. Penn State's offense couldn't solve Eileen Canney's puzzle as the Northwestern pitcher held Penn State to only one hit and three base runners.

"We're just slow getting started up with the hitting," sophomore Danielle Kinley said. "We had a couple of good hits that went to people, but she's a great pitcher, and you have to give her credit."

After suffering its first Big Ten loss, Penn State coach Robin Petrini was confident in her team's mindset going into the second crucial match. The sharpness showed when the Lions came out swinging in the second game led by a two-run home run by Esparza in the first inning.

"They were ready to play," Petrini said. "I told them they had five minutes to mentally prepare themselves for the second game, but they were pretty motivated and focused. They knew what they needed to do. It was a good thing to score right away and take the momentum."

Northwestern closed the gap with a run in the third inning, but the Lions delivered once again with four runs on four hits highlighted by a Kayce Zielinski homerun in the bottom frame.

With two runners on, Esparza relieved Jenn Reynolds in the circle to stifle a Wildcat response in the next inning. Three walks and a single resulted in three runs for Northwestern until Esparza retired the last batter with the bases loaded.

The Wildcats kept the threat alive with a solo shot in the final inning, but Esparza was able to hold on to the win for the Lions. Northwestern's freshman phenom pitcher Lauren Delany who came into yesterday's game undefeated was handed her first loss to drop her record to 15-1.

"The first game was a close game," Kinley, who went 3-for-4 on the weekend with a run scored, said. "Once we settled down and got our bats going a little bit, we really exploded going into the second game.

"It was definitely a success. Any team as good as Northwestern -- of course we'd rather sweep them, but if we can split with them its still legitimate."

Because of bad weather, Penn State and Minnesota have the fewest conference games with only four. After their last six Big Ten games have been canceled, the Lions were certainly happy to see the sun shining in Evanston, Ill. this weekend. However, based on the winning percentages, Penn State sits in second place behind Ohio State in the conference.

With their disadvantage in terms of conference games, the Lions made sure that they made a statement against a high-caliber team like Northwestern. After its first defeat in seven games, the motivation was there to not let the losing continue.

"There was more momentum, more drive [in the second game]," Kinley said. "We just kinda woke up a little bit and just came out hard because we lost our first game, and we weren't going to let anybody sweep us. We had to win that game."