Softball must be perfect to upset favored Tigers

After cruising to an Ivy League championship, last season's Princeton softball team has cast a large shadow over this year's squad. But the current Tigers have more to live up to than just an Ivy League championship. The 1994 Princeton squad was arguably the best team in conference history. After clinching its 10th Ivy title in 12 years, the Tigers defeated Lehigh twice in a play-in series to become the first Ivy League team to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. In the first round, Princeton shut out McNeese State, 2-0, to advance to a second-round matchup with Utah. The Utes knocked out the Tigers with a pair of one-run victories. But Utah could not knock out the legacy the '94 team left. Princeton's accomplishments led to a number of individual honors. Stacy Thurber earned third-team all-America honors and was named Ivy League Player of the Year. Karen Drill earned the conference's Pitcher of the Year award, and Maureen Davies was named Rookie of the Year. The Penn softball team travels to Princeton (22-6, 0-0 Ivy League) tomorrow to take on the remaining members of that history-making squad. On Sunday, the action will shift to Penn's Warren Field as the Quakers (6-19, 0-0) host Butler at 1 p.m. Drill has graduated from Princeton, but Davies has stepped in as the Tigers' ace. She sports a 13-3 record along with a microscopic 1.25 ERA. Davies, the staff workhorse, has already racked up 106 innings. On March 30, she tossed a no-hitter against Seton Hall. Thurber has also returned. Although she has yet to find the stroke that terrorized opposing Ivy pitchers last season, Thurber is still batting a more-than respectable .276 at the plate. Despite Thurber's "slump," Princeton has had no trouble scoring runs. As a team, the Tigers are batting a whopping .318 and have a team on-base percentage of .462. On the defensive side, Princeton holds opponents to a .238 batting average and only 1.74 earned runs per game. After Saturday's doubleheader, the Quakers will take on Butler. "I don't really know much about them, except that they're from the Midwest," Penn pitcher Vicki Moore confessed. Actually, the Bulldogs come from Indianapolis, where they compete in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Butler should not pose as much of a challenge as the Tigers, but given Penn's tendency to make errors, no game is a lock. "Basically, even if we make one mistake, we don't want to compound it," Moore said. "If we make one, we don't want to go and make two or three more." The Quakers will also have to be careful not to overlook the out-of-conference Bulldogs after their emotional battle with Princeton. "That's always the case, but I hope not," Moore said. "Princeton's always a big game. They're always a big rival, being in our conference. But Butler has a good team." Penn's pitching seems to be coming around at just the right moment. Melanie Bolt has looked impressive all season. With an ERA of 2.36, she has established herself as the team's ace. Moore has been the workhorse of the staff, having racked up over 50 innings on the mound. Freshman Jen Strawley looks like she will provide Penn coach Linda Carothers with a strong third starter. Although she struggled early in the season, as her ERA ballooned to 8.59, Strawley's most recent performance Wednesday against Drexel suggests she is beginning to learn the college game. Senior Dawn Kulp has been spectacular coming out of the bullpen. In the Quakers' second game against West Chester last Sunday, the Golden Rams jumped out to a 6-1 lead off Strawley through 2 2/3 innings. Carothers made the switch, bringing in Kulp for the struggling frosh. Kulp slammed the brakes on the runaway West Chester offense, holding the Rams to two hits and no runs and enabling Penn to come back to win, 7-6. The Quakers will need such strong pitching this weekend as they try to upset the reigning champs and gain a quick lead in the conference race. Penn can ill afford any mistakes against Princeton. And although Butler may not make the NCAAs, the Quakers are not yet in a position to overlook anyone. "They're both tough teams," Bolt said. "But we tend to rise to the competition. I think we'll be pumped for the games."