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Penn softball (beat/was beaten by) LaSalle this past Wednesday at Warren Field Credit: Pete Lodato

Though a dormant offense has plagued Penn’s softball team for much of the year, it certainly wasn’t an issue Wednesday.

The Quakers split a doubleheader with Lafayette at Warren Field, with scores of 13-11 and 8-5.

The Red and Blue (12-15, 6-2 Ivy) found themselves trailing 6-0 in the fifth inning of game one, but a grand slam from freshman Brooke Coloma put the Quakers back within reach of the game. In all, they would score nine runs in the bottom of that frame.

Penn’s 9-6 lead was short-lived, as the Leopards (12-23) rallied for four runs of their own in the top of the sixth.

But the Quakers’ batters resiliently took the lead back, scoring four in the bottom of the sixth to seize the third and final lead change of the game.

Senior center fielder Keiko Uraguchi’s three hits contributed to the win.

“I thought we hit really well,” she said. “Our defense could use a little work — we’ll have to tighten up.”

Though the Quakers give up an average 4.85 runs per game, the team allowed 11 runs in the first contest, two unearned.

“I didn’t think we played very well,” Penn coach Leslie King said. “We hit the ball decently, but I thought our pitching and our defense were a little less than what they need to be.”

The second game of the twinbill didn’t go any better in that respect.

Penn never led in the nightcap. The team allowed four runs in the top of the first, though it responded with three in the bottom half.

It would only muster five hits throughout the rest of the game and the Quakers never got the tying run to the plate in the final innings.

Even with the Quakers’ disappointing performance in the second game, Uraguchi remained optimistic about the team’s offense.

“We scored … 18 runs today? Our bats are coming back,” she said.

With the Quakers facing Ivy League South Division leader Cornell tomorrow, King said that defense will be a focus point for her team in the near future.

“We’ll work on our defensive sets on Friday,” she explained. “And, hopefully, get ourselves in a good place.”

Sophomore left-hander Cailyn Hennessy and junior Tory Satagaj started each game of the doubleheader for the Quakers, respectively.

Hennessy did not earn a decision for her effort, leaving the mound after five innings. After Lindsay Mann allowed four runs in the top of the sixth, junior Taylor Tieman came in and earned the win.

Satagaj, meanwhile, took a loss, allowing four runs in the first inning without retiring a batter. Though Tieman relieved her and completed the game, the Quakers couldn’t keep up with the Leopards’ attack.

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