Softball's dreams swept away

Just three days ago, the Penn softball team was getting ready for its weekend trip to New England. A sweep of Dartmouth and a split or sweep against Harvard were supposed to fuel the Quakers' unlikely jump to the top half of the Ivy League standings. But any hopes of a third-place Ivy finish came crashing down Saturday afternoon in Hanover, N.H. Penn sophomore Vicki Moore, who got the call despite a severely strained hip flexor, put forth one of the gutsiest performances of the year. She went the distance, allowing just three hits. But an untimely walk negated her earlier brilliance. With the score tied at 0 in the bottom of the seventh and final inning, Dartmouth had the bases loaded. With the count full, Moore tossed ball four, walking in the game's lone run. "Vicki was hunched over on the mound between pitches," Penn shortstop Sam Smithson said. "She was crying in pain. She probably should have been taken out earlier in the game or earlier in the inning." The underdog Big Green (5-23, 3-4 Ivy League) completed the sweep with a 6-4 victory in game two. "They were hitting the ball hard all afternoon," Smithson said. "I got about 20 or 30 balls at shortstop." The Quakers' offense looked stronger in the second game, but it was still not enough. "We hit the ball solid against Dartmouth, but we were hitting right at people," center fielder Laurie Nestler said. "We couldn't find any holes." Sunday's twin bill against the Crimson (12-10, 5-3) was equally disappointing. The doubleheader was supposed to be a battle for third place. Instead, the afternoon served only to push the Quakers (10-29, 2-6) further into the Ivy doghouse. In the opener, Penn's offense pulled another disappearing act. Melanie Bolt's single off Tasha Cupp was all the Quakers' bats could muster. Cupp went the distance in the 8-0 shutout, walking two and striking out six. "She's a riseball pitcher, which you don't see much of on the East Coast," Smithson said. Harvard's offense, on the other hand, was running on all cylinders. Danielle Feinberg, Amy Reinhard, Kara Hartl and Katina Lee collected two hits each off Penn starter Dawn Kulp. The Quakers' defense did little to help Kulp. Penn committed five errors, including three by third baseman Kristin Richeimer. Three of the Crimson's eight runs were unearned. Shaky defense continued to plague the Red and Blue in the nightcap. Harvard scored two unearned runs on four Penn miscues in its 9-4 win. Through three innings, it appeared the Quakers might avoid an 0-4 weekend. Down 4-1, the Crimson pulled starter Heather Brown from the game. But Penn was not happy to see Cupp come in from the bullpen. Cupp held Penn scoreless for the rest of the game, striking out five batters in her four innings of work. "She was a better pitcher Sunday than we were hitters," Nestler said. Cupp's effort gave the Harvard offense time to wake up. In the fourth inning, the Crimson scored three runs off Jen Strawley to tie the game at 4. With two outs in the fifth inning, Quakers coach Linda Carothers pulled Strawley in favor of Kulp. But the move backfired. Kulp gave up five runs, four of which were earned. The five-run inning clinched the sweep for Harvard. The Quakers had little trouble reaching base in the second game. But Penn did not deliver with runners on base, stranding seven. Much of the problem was due to the Quakers' severe power shortage. In Sunday's doubleheader, Laurie Nestler's double in game two was Penn's only extra-base hit. "We've just got to get that fire back," Smithson said. "We've lost that winning attitude." "This weekend, we hit rock-bottom," Nestler added. "We can't go any lower. We can only go up from here."