Softball has mediocre trip to Florida

After losing Stacey Thompson and Hilary Stamos, the 3-4 hitters in last year's batting lineup, to graduation, the offense looked as if it would be the Penn softball team's Achilles' heel. Thompson flirted with .400 for much of the year, while Stamos provided home-run power. But the remaining Quakers surprised not only Keene and Saginaw Valley during their spring break trip in Florida, but Penn coach Linda Carothers as well, reaching base safely 20 times in their first 53 at-bats. "I was real happy with the fact that we were able to hit the ball in Florida and hit the ball rather well," Carothers said. "Statistically we out-hit everybody. Wins and losses didn't indicate that. But statistically we out-hit everybody." Leading the charge for Penn was sophomore Sam Smithson, who went 6 for 14 through seven games, good for a .429 batting average. But Smithson suffered a broken thumb during the seventh game against Gannon, leaving another void in the Quakers' lineup. "She's probably not going to be able to play for us for a while," Carothers said. "My understanding is we're not going to get our sophomore back until probably before Ivies." Smithson was just learning how to play catcher after starting at second base last year. The pressure will now be on freshman Rachel Benepe to handle the catching duties. But Benepe will not be able to provide the offensive punch Smithson did. "That's a pretty big hole because she's my third hitter," Carothers said. "She hit consistently for us last year. And now we've got to replace her too. So basically I've replaced my third, fourth and fifth hitters. And we're back to square one again." The Quakers have struggled at the plate since Smithson's injury. In the two games immediately following the Gannon contest, Penn batted just .210 against La Salle and East Carolina. Fortunately, Carothers has gotten some spectacular pitching to keep the Quakers in games. Sophomore Vicki Moore did an outstanding jon on the mound in both of the Quakers' wins. In the season opener -- a 5-4 victory against Keene -- Moore went the distance, allowing just one earned run and 5 hits. She also provided punch at the plate, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. She is currently batting .484 with five RBIs. After dropping games to Saginaw Valley, Evansville, Ferris State and Villanova, Penn sent Moore to the mound again. Moore overpowered Holy Cross en route to a complete game one-hitter, leading the Red and Blue to a 9-1 win. The Quakers lost their next five games to drop their record to 2-9. But for a team with five freshman and seven sophomores, there are bound to be growing pains. Not only is the team young, but many of the experienced players are learning new positions. Besides Smithson, senior Dawn Kulp and sophomore Laurie Nestler are both adjusting to new assignments. Kulp is trying to fill the shoes of Stamos in right field after playing first base last season. Nestler, an all-Ivy selection in the outfield last year, has moved to shortstop. She will try to replace defensive ace Rachel Walsh, who graduated with Thompson and Stamos. "Legitimately, we only have really four people this year playing the same positions that they started playing last year," Carothers said. That combination of youth and inexperience has led to problems in the field. During the 11-game trip, the Quakers committed 44 errors. Thirteen of those errors have come courtesy of Nestler, who has struggled in her new role in the infield. Carothers is waiting to set the pitching rotation until she has had time to evaluate everyone. Moore, Kulp, sophomore Melanie Bolt and freshman Jen Strawley will form the core of the staff. Despite the 2-9 record, Carothers points to the positives of the trip, the things that don't show up in box scores. "The scores weren't indicative of what we were doing," she said. "One time, we had bases loaded and my freshman Amy Malerba hit a ball as hard as she could hit a ball. And the St. Joe's center fielder made a spectacular catch." If only Penn had defense like that to go with its offense and pitching, maybe the Quakers wouldn't be 2-9.