Softball splits four in dramatic fashion

The weekend got off to an ominous start for the Penn softball team. The team was looking to shed the memory of its no-hit performance against Lehigh with strong outings against Delaware and Lafayette. But the Quakers' problems quickly shifted from offense to defense. In the first inning of the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Fightin' Blue Hens at Warren Field, Delaware rocked Penn's Melanie Bolt for five runs, of which only three were earned. If not for a circus catch by center fielder Abby Shore in deep right-center with the bases loaded, Delaware (6-10) may have had a seven- or eight-run lead. "I had to catch it or we would be in deeper than we already were," Shore said. Bolt regained her composure and went on to dominate the rest of the game, allowing only one more run. "We did look shaky in the beginning of both games," Shore said. "I was thinking we were done in." The Quakers (5-14) picked up a run in the bottom of the third to close the gap. With the bases loaded, Amy Malerba hit a long sacrifice fly to center field. Jennifer Stanwix tagged from third and headed home. The throw arrived a split second before Stanwix, who tried to dodge the catcher without sliding. The catcher dropped the ball, and Stanwix was called safe. A two-out rally in the fourth inning sparked an improbable comeback by Penn. Sophomore Vicki Moore led off the inning with a single. After Laurie Nestler struck out, Dawn Kulp laid down a sacrifice bunt, which moved Moore to second. Shore hit a line drive between first and second bases. The right fielder picked up the ball and almost gunned Shore at first. But she beat the throw, and Moore scored from second. Kristin Richeimer followed with a bloop single over second base. Rachel Benepe knocked Shore in with a single to shallow right field. Bolt followed with a shot to deep left-center field which rolled all the way to the wall. Richeimer and Benepe scored, and Bolt ended up with a triple. Malerba gave the Quakers their first lead with a line drive to right field that drove in Bolt. Delaware tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the sixth. But Moore's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave Penn the victory. In the back end of the twin bill, the Quakers again fell behind 5-0. And again a big fourth inning fueled an improbable comeback. With runners on second and third and one out, Penn coach Linda Carothers called for a suicide squeeze, which was perfectly executed by Kulp. The bunt rolled to the first base side of the pitcher, who panicked and overthrew the catcher. Lecker and Nestler both scored on the error, and Kulp ended up at second. Penn then added two more runs. After allowing a triple to Delaware's Kristen Kayatta, which one-hopped to the 220-foot marker, and an RBI single to Alison Rose, Moore was pulled in favor of Kulp. The Hens added another run to take a two-run lead. But the Quakers capitalized on four Delaware errors in the bottom of the fifth to take a two-run lead of their own. Penn held on for the 9-8 win. "When we got in the hole early, we knew we could come back because we had done it already," Shore said. The action moved from Penn's Warren Field to Lafayette Sunday. The Leopards gave the Quakers a taste of their own medicine, coming back to win the first game on their last out. With two down in the bottom of the seventh inning, Penn was clinging to a 7-6 lead. But the Lafayette offense came roaring back, scoring five runs to win the game, 11-7. In game two, Penn played in its third one-run game of the weekend. But for the first time, the Quakers ended up in the loser's column. Lafayette handed Penn a 3-2 loss. "Our problem was that we were hitting right at people instead of in the holes," Shore said. A 2-2 record on the weekend may not have been the Quakers' goal. But without gutsy comebacks against Delaware, their record could easily have been 0-4.