Softball takes on unknown, club team

On Wednesday, the Penn softball team shouted "Lets get a win!" before their final game against West Chester. Having accomplished this illustrious goal, the Quakers (3-12) will look this weekend to begin something completely foreign to them this season-- a winning streak. The last time Penn put two in a row together was nearly a year ago, when the Quakers swept a doubleheader against Brown, a team that managed to win only seven more games than the Quakers. The Red and Blue has a chance to tie that mark in a doubleheader tomorrow at Delaware State at 1 p.m. The Quakers could even extend the streak to five if they sweep a pair from Columbia Sunday at Warren Field at 1 p.m. According to new head coach Juanita Parker, the Hornets (1-11) have struggled all season. They have several new players and the weather has hindered practice time. Penn coach Linda Carothers has never had a team face off against Delaware State. "They are a pretty competitive team from what I have heard," Carothers said. "I personally have never seen them and am not quite sure what to expect." While Carothers might have barely clue about Delaware State, she does know the Quakers will return home Sunday to take on their first Ivy League opponent of the season. But Columbia, whose fledgling program has not yet earned varisty status, should be ripe for a beating. "The Columbia doubleheader will be a nice pressure cooker for the freshmen who have never experienced Ivy competition," Carothers said. And those freshmen -- especially those at the bottom of the batting order -- need to start picking up some of the offensive load. Freshmen Martha Merkel, Lauren Mishner, Aryln Katzen (who shares the catching duty with sophomore Rachel Benepe) and junior Lisa Zelnick are batting a combined .158. Since returning from Penn's spring break trip to Florida, they have yet to produce a single RBI among them , while striking out 25 times combined. And not one of them has put together a multiple-hit game since arriving back in Philly eight games ago. Even though the top five hitters in the lineup have been scorching the ball, it is already quite apparent that without some production from the six through nine spots, Penn will struggle. Quakers centerfielder Laurie Nestler's outstanding batting average of .438, along with solid hitting from leftfielder Kara Lecker and shortstop Sherryl Fodera, will not carry Penn to an Ivy League title alone. In a weak division with teams like Yale (0-11) and Dartmouth (1-7), a winning streak might be all Penn needs to gather momentum for the Ivy season that lurks just around the corner.