Quakers split first Ivy doubleheader

The Penn baseball team didn't exactly explode out of the box and stake a claim to first place in its first Ivy League weekend -- but the Quakers weren't left behind either. The opening set of Gehrig Division games remained unresolved as Penn (9-4, 1-1 Ivy League) split a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Coakley Field against Columbia (3-12, 1-1) before losing two contests yesterday to the inclement weather. The games will be made up later in the season. Although the Quakers were disappointed not to gain a stranglehold on the division, they nonetheless are coming away from the weekend with a positive attitude. After all, things could have been worse -- much worse. Penn was befuddled by 6-foot-7 right-hander Steve Ceterko in game one, losing a 4-1 decision while managing only three hits and one run against the Lion ace. The defeat was particularly frustrating for the Quakers for two reasons: first, the hitters felt they should have hammered Columbia's hurler, and second, Penn's sloppy defense was a major contributor to the Lion attack. "[Ceterko] throws really hard, but his pitches are straight as an arrow and he's only a two-pitch pitcher," junior first baseman Allen Fischer said. "Most of us love that kind of pitching. I felt we hit the ball hard a lot of the time, but it was just always right at people. This game is half luck. It was just one of those games for us." Other Quakers felt the hitters were slightly over-anxious at the plate, especially against a dead-fastball pitcher. Due to Ceterko's size and the angle of his trajectory, Penn hitters were enticed to swing at a lot of balls that were up in the strike zone. The offensive end is not the only place Penn may have been a little unlucky. With the game tied at 1 in the fourth inning, Columbia used a couple infield hits, two errors in the infield, a misplayed ball in left and three walks by rattled junior pitcher Dan Galles to put three runs on the board. Although the Quakers never rebounded from that catastrophic inning in game one, they came out with a vengeance in the night cap. In the top of the third, the Penn bats awakened to the tune of six runs against Columbia starting pitcher Richard Spencer. The Quakers managed to drive Spencer to the showers, but they could never finish off the Lions. Penn may have relaxed just a bit with that lead, and it cost them. "It was essential to jump out to that early lead after losing the first," senior co-captain Tim Shannon said. "But, after that, we played not too lose and got a little too careful." Columbia clawed back with rallies that produced runs in four different innings and finally tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Penn actually would have fallen behind in that sixth inning were it not for a stellar defensive play by Shannon, who made a diving catch in right field and then doubled off a Columbia baserunner at second to end the rally. The Lions' comeback was keyed by three home runs off junior pitcher Lance Berger. As terrible as that sounds, it was yet another example of a little bad luck for Penn. In an ordinary ballpark, the shots would have been routine fly balls that center fielder Sean Turner casually shagged. Coakley Field, however, is no ordinary ballpark. The park's distorted bandbox dimensions leave the center field fence at only 320 feet while the dimensions measure 350 down the lines. Penn overcame its bad luck and its slow start by pounding the Columbia bullpen for three runs in the top of the eighth, and junior closer Mike Martin slammed the door for the 9-6 win. Sophomore Derek Nemeth drove in two of the runs, atoning for his sloppy defensive play in game one. The Quakers, although satisfied with the split of the intense two games in New York, were disappointed they could not follow up on their victory with a doubleheader at Bower Field. Penn coach Bob Seddon was disappointed by the rainouts because of more analytical reasons -- primarily the fact the Quakers have a much deeper pitching staff than Columbia. Therefore, the Lions might be able to reuse Ceterko, the only pitcher Seddon thought had any chance to shut down the Penn lumber. His players felt differently. "We really wanted to play them and stick it to them," Fischer said. "Everyone on the team would love to face Ceterko again. I promise you, it would be a very different ballgame." The Quakers will have to wait until a still undetermined time later in the season to satisfactorily resolve this weekend's unfinished business and stake their claim to first place in the Gehrig Division of the Ivy League.