The Bucknell softball team made the highlight of its season Tuesday night when it overcame a 7-0 first-inning deficit to knock off its big sister to the west, Penn State.
Anytime the Bison are able to even hang with a major-conference opponent, they are happy. Winning such a game is memorable in Lewisburg.

For the Nittany Lions, however, the doubleheader split, and the blank expressions on the players' faces as they left Nittany Field told the story of shock and disbelief that filled the Penn State dugout following the 8-7 loss -- the first time in almost 10 seasons the Lions lost to the underdog Bison.

Lost among the surprise from the final score, was the fact that it was pretty much the perfect recipe for an upset.

After a 10-0 mercy rule win in opening game, the Lions jumped out to a seven-run lead after the first inning of the second contest. The Lion starters were taken out of the game to avoid running up the score and humiliating Bucknell even further.

The Bison took the show as an insult, and released their frustration on the Penn State pitching by notching eight overall hits and five unearned runs.

By the time the Lion regulars were sent back onto the field in the sixth inning, they had been sitting in the dugout for almost an hour in the 45-degree cold.

The loss to Bucknell was Penn State's fifth in its last six outings. What makes the current slide even worse is that it came on the heels of a string of nine wins in 10 games, which had the Lions on the verge of cracking the coveted top-25 softball polls.

But just because Penn State has taken a few lumps during the past week doesn't mean the season is over. It's these times of adversity that display the true mettle of quality teams. Good players raise their level of play, regroup when it appears as though everything is crashing around them.

After all, the Lions still have an opportunity to make a run at the postseason and make some noise in the Big Ten tournament. With wins over top-10 teams Northwestern, Michigan and Texas already this season, they have shown they have the potential to get hot again and win the conference tournament. But before they look toward the Big Ten tournament, Penn State must reverse its current fall.

That's why this weekend's series with Indiana and Purdue is important not only to the Lion's win-loss record, but also to the psyche of the team as well. Another poor performance and the season may very well be lost.

But according to third baseman Shana Madura, the team must learn from the loss and take it to heart. She said the Lions needed to spend some time reflecting on the horrible feeling they felt and realize that on Tuesday night, the Bison simply had more motivation.

"We all need to refocus and play to win [every game]." Madura said following the loss.

"We have to want it more than [our opponent]."

Either way, the loss to Bucknell will become a turning point for Penn State's season. If the Lions remain down, falling to a Patriot League team will be the defining low moment of what began as a promising year but finished as merely mediocre.

But if Penn State does what Madura suggests it will do, the sickening feeling felt while walking off the field Tuesday night will be enough motivation to run off another string of impressive wins. And if that happens, the loss to the Bison will not feel as devastating.