BTN.com staff, April 28, 2012

Illinois softball used a disciplined approach at the plate to secure a 5-1 victory over No. 22 Michigan in eight innings at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon. While the Illini lineup worked eight walks over the contest, the most issued by the UM pitching staff on the season, Illinois broke through for five runs in the top of the eighth to earn the win against the Big Ten-leading Wolverines, who entered the day with a 12-3 conference record. Watch our highlights from the game and read the full recap at FightingIllini.com.

INDIANA 1, IOWA 0 – 9 Innings; IOWA 4, INDIANA 0

Four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie and propelled the University of Iowa softball team to a 4-0 victory and a doubleheader split against Indiana on Saturday at Pearl Field. The Hoosiers won a pitching duel in opener, winning 1-0 in nine innings. The Hawkeyes' record sits at 22-24 overall and 11-6 in Big Ten play, while Indiana is 24-24 overall and 8-9 in the league. Read full recap at HawkeyeSports.com.

OHIO STATE 6, NORTHWESTERN 2
On a chilly day in Evanston, Ill., the Ohio State softball team defeated Northwestern, 6-2, Saturday afternoon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The Buckeyes (28-18, 7-8 Big Ten) claimed two runs in the first and four runs in the seventh vs. the Wildcats (19-26, 6-10 Big Ten) en route to their seventh conference win of 2012.  Sophomore Melanie Nichols had a solid performance in the circle for the Buckeyes, limiting the Wildcats to two runs in seven innings, while stranding 12 NU runners with three strikeouts. Read full recap at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

NEBRASKA 3, MICHIGAN STATE 0; NEBRASKA 5, MICHIGAN STATE 3
Freshman Mattie Fowler broke open a scoreless game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to give sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards all the support she would need in Nebraska's 3-0 victory over Michigan State in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. The Huskers, which have won 16 straight home games, also took game one, 5-3. Read full recap at Huskers.com.

PENN STATE 6, MINNESOTA 5; PENN STATE 4, MINNESOTA 3 – 8 Innings
The Penn State softball team showed its resilience on Saturday, fighting back from 3-0 deficits twice on Saturday afternoon at Beard Field, emerging victorious twice in walk-off fashion. The Nittany Lions stared down seventh-inning deficits in both games winning 6-5 and 4-3 (8 inn.). Offensively, Liz Presto was the Penn State star going 4-for-7 in the doubleheader, driving home four runs in game one including a massive three-run double to tie the game in the fourth inning. In the circle, Lisa Akamine won both decisions, going 12.1 innings with 16 strikeouts and reaching double-digit victories for the third straight year. Read full recap at GoPSUSports.com.

PURDUE 7, WISCONSIN 2; WISCONSIN 7, PURDUE 1
The Boilermaker softball team split its Saturday, Cancer Awareness Day, doubleheader with Wisconsin, winning the first game 7-2, but falling 7-1 in Game 2. Purdue racked up 11 hits in the opener, but just three in the night cap. Read full recap at PurdueSports.com.

Get the latest Big Ten softball standings and Big Ten softball statistics at BigTen.org.