Baseball meets crosstown rival

Penn seeks revenge against LaSalle Two weeks ago, he was scheduled to make his first collegiate start against St. Peter's. The rain made sure that game did not happen. Last Wednesday, he was once again scheduled to make his Penn starting debut. But neither the Penn baseball team nor Lehigh would play in the downpouring rain. Yesterday, the weather was perfect and the sun was out. Unfortunately for freshman pitcher A.B. Fischer, Lehigh's trip to upstate New York was delayed due to the weather this weekend, and the contest against the Quakers was cancelled. So finally, the long-awaited starting debut of Fischer appears as if it will happen this afternoon when Penn (17-9-1) hosts La Salle (3:30 p.m., Bower Field). The national weather service predicts a partly sunny day, breezy and a little cool, with a high in the mid-60s. In otherwords, it appears to be a perfect day for baseball in the friendly confines of Bower Field. "Missing all of these starts has been very frustrating," Fischer said. "To think I could have started two weeks ago and two more times just kills me. I almost think someone's trying to tell me something." The only person trying to tell Fischer something is coach Bob Seddon. "A.B. Fischer has pitched well for us in relief," Seddon said. "He won't go long because we want to make sure he's available for this weekend." But if Fischer follows in the footsteps of his fellow hurlers from this past weekend, it may be hard for the Penn skipper to pull him early in the contest. This weekend the Quaker staff pitched four complete games -- two shutouts and two no-hitters were taken into the fifth inning -- and junior Ed Haughey was even named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week for his efforts (9 innings, 2 hits, 10 strikeouts, 0 earned runs). Fischer is ready. "I've been a starter all my life," Fischer said. "I'm happy to finally get a shot to start here. I haven't started yet, and I'm just happy the coaches saw something in me." What the coaching staff saw was a lively arm capable of overpowering its opponents. Fischer is currently second on the team with a 3.18 ERA, including 13 strikeouts in just 11.1 innings. He has also kept Quaker opponents' bats in check as he held them to a .233 batting average. As if this experience was not enough, Fischer has been tested in pressure situations before. He has already twice entered games with the bases loaded and two outs. "I've pitched in six games in relief," Fischer said. "I just try to go out and say, 'I'm better than this hitter. No one's going to get a hit off me.' " But another part of this game will concern something that Fischer did not experience -- revenge for last season's 7-6 Explorer victory at Veterans Stadium. In that contest, the Quakers seemed to have the game won going into the bottom of the sixth with a three-run lead. However, La Salle came back behind four sixth-inning runs to squeak out the victory and overcome a Tim Shannon home run in the process. "We blew the game at the Vet," Seddon said. "I will definitely remind the guys about that game before we play [today]." In that contest, the Quakers were plagued with the same problem that cost them games earlier this season -- a lack of intensity in the final innings. "We've just got to keep the intensity up the entire game instead of slacking off," outfielder Tim Shannon said after the loss last year. Because of this sense of revenge and Fischer's enthusiasm with his first start, this seemingly meaningless midweek contest instantly picks up more importance. And with the Quakers coming off a four-game weekend sweep of Cornell and facing a vital four-game series with Princeton Saturday and Sunday, Penn is hoping to simply keep on winning. In order to achieve this goal, the red-hot Quaker bats will have to stay that way. After an explosive weekend, sophomore sensation Mike Shannon now leads the Penn batters with a .500 average. He is also tied with third baseman Mark DeRosa with two home runs to lead the Quakers. Beyond Shannon, seven regulars are hitting over .300, and the team is batting a combined .326. This combination of hitting and pitching may prove to be exactly what it will take for the Quakers to win this afternoon. Penn knows with a key matchup with the second-place Tigers looming in the immediate future, if the Quakers can win today and continue their four-game winning streak, they might be able ride the momentum into the weekend. However, a loss may cause the exact opposite result. So obviously, this game takes on much more importance in the context of the Gehrig Division race. "It's very easy to overlook a midweek game," first baseman Allen Fischer said. "But when we get down there, we'll focus on our goal for the day. We've been known in the past to take midweek games too lightly, but we'll be ready to play." As long as the forecast is correct, the Quakers will have the opportunity to avenge last year's loss. If not, Fischer's starting debut may have to be postponed yet again. · Sophomore catcher Joe Piacenti missed this weekend's games due to a strained muscle in his shoulder. Although he practiced with team yesterday, he has still not been cleared to throw a ball.