Penn faces Patriot champ Lehigh

The Penn softball team lost both ends of a doubleheader Saturday against Princeton in five-inning games, which ended early because of the eight-run rule. Sunday, the Quakers blew out Delaware State twice in what, according to Penn coach Linda Carothers, weren't competitive enough to be called contests. But after this rollercoaster weekend, Penn will have to settle back down into its schedule today in a doubleheader against Lehigh. And since the Quakers (8-17) stumble on to the field plagued with the flu, missing their No. 1 pitcher/No. 4 batter junior Vicki Moore, coughing up another victory won't be that easy. According to Carothers, Lehigh (23-10) is a tough team to beat. As defending champions of the Patriot League, the Mountain Hawks are expected to win the title once again this year. And Lehigh is well on its way to obtaining that goal as the Mountain Hawks are already 5-1 against other Patriot teams. Lehigh's only league loss is to Lafayette, a club that defeated the Quakers earlier this season. The Mountain Hawks boast solid numbers. The pitching staff's combined ERA is 2.67 and Lehigh's combined batting average is .308. The Mountain Hawks are led at the plate by junior Karen Schaefer who is hitting a sweet .400. Not far behind Schaefer is senior Kim Miller with a .396 batting average. And Lehigh will come to Warren Field with a five-game winning streak under its belt. While Penn's combined ERA is the same as the Mountain Hawks, the Quakers' combined average at the plate is substantially lower at .232. And without Moore in the lineup, the immediate future in the batting department doesn't look much brighter. Moore injured her hamstring stealing second in the nightcap of the April 6 doubleheader against Cornell. Although she practiced with the team yesterday, her condition is still unstable. "She felt good throwing but uncomfortable batting," Carothers said. "We don't know what we're going to do with her." It is highly unlikely that Moore will make an appearance in today's game. Carother's hinted that Moore was resting for the more vital Ivy League contests this weekend at Yale and Brown. Freshman Megan Leary and sophomore Jen Strawley will have mound duty. Along with reorganizing the pitching staff, the Quakers will have to juggle around the lineup. "We're making some rearrangements of the batting order," Carothers said. "It depends on who is healthy and who is not healthy." Several Quakers are also battling the flu. According to Carothers, freshman Sherryl Fodera, who has been sick, is starting to feel better, but other players are now feeling ill. "This is a really critical part of the season for us," Carothers said. "We are trying to stay focused and make sure we get something out of every practice." Carothers said that her players looked good in yesterday's practice. But that strong practice will have to carry over to the game if the Quakers want to pull out another win. After a wacky weekend, a solid victory would be nice.