While explaining his thoughts on his offense and defense in recent games, Robbie Wine's favorite word to use was "adjustment."
When batting, Penn State's fine-tuning came in the seventh inning of a 7-3 win Sunday against Rutgers.
Before scoring five runs in their last three innings of the game, the Nittany Lions were down a run and had yet to earn a walk.
But Penn State (8-8) then noticed Rutgers starting pitcher Charlie Law was beginning to tire.
"Our approach was he threw pretty hard," Penn State's Jordan Steranka said. "If we could take some pitches, he could get tired -- and he was. Get into the at-bat, let pitches go and wait for your pitch. The kid got tired and started walking kids."
Steranka, who was one of the batters to walk in the last three innings, also went 2-for-3 with a RBI.
However, it was just an inning earlier that the offense struggled.
After scoring eight runs or more six straight games, Penn State was swept in a double-header Saturday against Rutgers.
Even in Sunday's win, the Lions couldn't finish off a rally, as they left the bases loaded in the sixth inning. They did earn their first two walks of the game in the inning, however.
Wine summed up the rough stretch as his squad being unable to get a "key hit," as Rutgers was able to slow it down.
He said the offensive adjustment came when his players became more patient at the plate. Usually, Wine said, his team likes to makes things happen by taking swings.
In the game-deciding rally, Wine said his team was able to stay away from pitches in the dirt. He likened the rally to the one earlier this season against St. Joseph's on March 8. In that game, Penn State won, 8-7, after coming back from a 6-1 deficit by scoring seven times in the last four innings.
On the other end, the defensive adjustment came with having a routine of playing on grass and dirt. The Lions' most frequent practice facility has been Holuba Hall, where Wine said there are "true hops all the time."
This isn't always the case on dirt, where a ball can take a bad hop.
Wine said every northern school goes through an adjustment period. Steranka added that in the past, errors killed the team.
In 16 games, the Lions have 26 errors, although Steranka said the club put it all together on Sunday, when Penn State didn't commit one.
Overall, the Lions are back at .500 as they prepare for Friday's home opener. Although Steranka admitted there would be games when the team struggles to score, his coach is pleased with the team's adjustments.
"If you have a pitcher out here that throws strike one, strike two, you go early," Wine said about the batter's mindset.
"If it hits corners, be patient. You have to adjust to who's on the mound, who's pitching and who you're playing. The guys are learning to adjust to every situation."
