IN THE BLEACHERS: Softball wins due to Big Red errors

Defense wins championships, and a lack of it can definitely lose a doubleheader. That's exactly happened to Cornell during yesterday's twinbill against the Quakers at Warren Field. Penn won 4-1 in the first game and 5-4 in game two. In the two games, Cornell committed nine errors, including seven in game one. "They were making mistakes and we were able to do to them what Princeton did to us on Saturday," Penn coach Linda Carothers said. "We made mistakes and Princeton capitalized," Carothers said, referring to the Tigers' sweep of the Quakers Saturday. "Today we did that to Cornell." Senior outfielder Hilary Stamos, however, believes the Quakers may not have deserved the game one victory. "I think we took them pretty lightly," Stamos said. "The first game wasn't a great win for us. Our bats weren't working. At one point, we had four runs on one hit. That's where errors come into play." Indeed, the Big Red's errors did provide a massive boost for the Quakers, as they pulled off the first victory with only three hits. Although committing only two errors in the second game, Cornell's sixth-inning miscues cost it a victory as the Quakers mounted a late-game comeback. Down 4-3 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, freshman Laurie Nestler stepped to the plate with Stamos on second. "We just wanted her to hit the ball hard and make them throw it," Carothers said. "The tying run was on second and they started to panic." Nestler drilled a shot to left field which appeared to be very catchable. The ball glanced off Randi Winter's glove and skipped away. Stamos scored and Nestler trotted to second. "[Nestler] just came up there and hit the ball hard," senior pitcher Lanie Moore said. "That's what we needed then." Freshman Samantha Smithson then laid down a perfect bunt along the first-base line. Cornell pitcher Allison Maggart picked up the ball and fired it past the first baseman and into right field. Nestler scored, giving the Quakers a 5-4 lead. Despite the Big Red's defensive collapse throughout the doubleheader, Cornell, in its first year of Ivy competition, could prove itself a contender in the future. In order to be competitive on the varsity level, however, Cornell will have to stifle its defensive problems, or else its lack of defense will result in losing many more doubleheaders.