Quakers swept by 'Nova in doubleheader

For the past two weeks coach Linda Carothers has preached to her players about playing aggressive softball. On Wednesday versus Villanova, the Quakers (2-7) initially lost their toughness and were routed 7-0 by the Wildcats in the first game of a doubleheader. Penn regained its poise and battled Villanova in the second game before falling 2-1 in a heartbreaker. With the wind blowing fiercely and the temperature in the low 40's, Penn's bats remained frozen for the first game. Despite solid defense from the infield, especially freshman shortstop Sherryl Fodera and sophomore third baseman Amy Malerba, the Wildcats came out swinging. In the second inning, Villanova (9-5) got on the board when senior Kim Bullock tripled over the head of centerfielder Laurie Nestler. Back-to-back doubles for the Wildcats in the fourth inning led to two more runs. But it was in the fifth when the game was broken wide open. Two errors by freshman second baseman Lauren Mishner led to a three-run inning giving the Wildcats the 6-0 lead. Usually-consistent junior pitcher Vicki Moore (1-2) struggled with her control for most of the game. "After each inning, we talked to Vicki and Rachel (Benepe, the catcher) about what pitches were being thrown," Carothers said. "Both girls said it didn't matter what Vicki pitched because they were hitting everything." Over the first five innings Penn was unable to get a hit and only managed two balls out of the infield. Sophomore Brenda Roach was pitching a perfect game including five strikeouts until the sixth inning when freshman Martha Merkel banged out a single. The Quakers hoped that Merkel's base hit would be the spark they needed to jump start their offense. Unfortunately for Penn, the single by Merkel turned out to be the Quakers only hit in the ball game. "When we aren't aggressive at the plate, it really hurts," Carothers said. "They came out and were aggressive and we just were flat. It didn't help that their pitcher was throwing so well, but we can not afford to be relaxed at the beginning of a game. We need to come out attacking." And that is exactly what occurred in the second game. From the start Penn looked like a completely different team. Junior Kara Lecker doubled the second pitch off senior Tina Sabunas. Lecker's two-bagger was followed by sophomore Amy Malerba's sacrifice bunt. However, with a runner on third and one out neither Fodera nor Moore could get Lecker home. "Our execution in the second game was the difference", Carothers said. "We simply did not get the timely hit or make the big defensive stop when we needed too." Sophomore leftfielder Jen Stanwix -- who made one of those errors -- atoned, in part, for her mistake by scoring Penn's only run in the 5th after being hit by a pitch. But the brightest point for Penn for the day was the performance of junior pitcher Jen Strawley who did not give up an earned run, lowering her already outstanding ERA from 1.64 to 1.24. The only real negative in the second game occurred when Nestler, the Quakers leading hitter (.429), in her first at bat got pegged in the hand and had to leave the game. The status on Nestler's hand is day to day. Even though Penn lost both games, it realized they have the potential to beat a team such as Villanova if they make sure to remain aggressive and focused from the first pitch to the last.