Quakers seek revenge against Lehigh

Never again. When the Penn baseball team met Lehigh March 13 in Orlando, the weather was sunny and warm, unlike any ballpark in eastern Pennsylvania. The Mountain Hawks demolished junior righthander A.B. Fischer's pitching, and the Quakers were out of the game before the first inning ended. "We owe them a lot," righthander Sean McDonald said. "We are playing 100 percent better than we were then. We should win unquestionably." Penn intends to repay their debts this afternoon on the frozen grass in Bethlehem, Pa. Lehigh prides itself on team experience and depth, returning seven seniors from last year's record-setting squad. It was those skills that powered the Mountain Hawks over a weaker, younger Penn squad. Marc Tendler (1-0, 14.14 ERA) won his only game of the season against the Quakers that day. "We made a lot of mental errors," second baseman Joe Carlon said, reflecting on the first time the teams met. "We beat ourselves. I don't think Lehigh can play with us as long as we're mentally sharp." Almost a month later, Penn has come together, while the Mountain Hawks are falling apart. The Quakers currently lead both the Gehrig Division and the Ivy League as a whole after sweeping four games from division-rival Columbia and splitting a weekend series with Yale and Brown. The Mountain Hawks are currently on a three-game winning streak, taking three of four from Holy Cross last weekend, but won only one of their nine contests before that. The Quakers look at today's matchup as a chance to reverse their recent trend of midweek struggles. "We have to have a game mentality," Carlon said. "The game is the time we get away from school and don't worry about all that. It's the most important thing." Thus far, Penn has been led by a nucleus of seniors -- co-captains Mike Shannon and Rick Burt, centerfielder Sean Turner and third baseman Derek Nemeth. The pitching has been dominated by sophomore righty Armen Simonian, whose 2.48 ERA leads the Ivy League. "There are four or five guys who are really carrying us and a few guys that will in the future," Carlon said. "The older guys can help the younger guys a lot, allowing us to just play while they fill the leadership roles." Turnabout is fair play, and Penn has stolen a page from the Mountain Hawks book. The key for Penn is getting an early lead. "By going out and scoring runs early, at the end of the game our pitching and defense will take over," Carlon said. "The guys on our team have so much talent that if we come together, the talent will take over." Whatever it takes, say the Quakers, to make sure they are not beaten by another inferior, non- conference opponent. Never again.