Softball sweeps Columbia

The Quakers took a pari fromThe Quakers took a pari fromthe Lions yesterday, but the winsThe Quakers took a pari fromthe Lions yesterday, but the winswill not count in the standings After being rained out against Delaware State Saturday, the Penn softball team received good news and bad news yesterday. First, the good news. The Quakers defeated Columbia twice yesterday, 6-2 and 10-0, in the Alumnae Day Doubleheader at Warren Field, extending Penn's winning streak to three. Now, the bad news. Sunday's victories don't count. Well, they will be in the team statistics, but the wins will have no effect on Ivy League standings and the NCAA will not recognize the games as an official part of Penn's record. Columbia is still a club team, hoping for varsity status in the 1997 season. The Quakers were scheduled to play the Lions because Columbia was originally supposed to be a varsity team beginning in the 1996 season. The Lions were no match for Penn. In the first game, junior pitcher Vicki Moore dominated Columbia, allowing only three hits. Moore, who also had eight strikeouts on the afternoon, is nursing a sore right shoulder which she pulled when Penn returned from its Florida trip. "It's still not 100 percent," Moore said of her pitching arm. "I started to feel a sharp pain during the fifth inning, but Coach didn't want to take me out. She told me to go one pitch at a time." In the second game, freshman pitcher Meghan Leary had a banner day on the mound. Although Leary is struggling a little with control problems, she still pulled out a no-hitter -- with some help from her defense. In the top of the third inning, Leary loaded the bases with two outs by hitting a batter and then walking the next two. A running catch in left field by junior Laurie Nestler saved the inning for Leary. "Nothing was working," Leary said. "But I showed I could battle through when the team backed me up and got me out of some tough situations." The second game lasted only four and a half innings due to a mercy rule. Penn was ahead of Columbia by ten runs heading into the top of the fifth. Since the Lions did not score, the Quakers sealed their victory two innings early. Having the statistics count, even without wins on the team record, is music to Nestler's ears. The leftfielder batted three-for-four on the afternoon, with two sacrifice flies. Nestler -- who garnered Ivy Player of the Week honors last week -- has a good shot at repeating that feat. She slugged her way to a .700 batting average for the week, with two triples and a double. Overall, Nestler is batting a cool .500. Penn capitalized on 12 Columbia errors in the two games, allowing the Quakers to score 10 unearned runs. Still, the little things Penn practiced will help the Quakers in the future. In the bottom of the fourth, second baseman Lauren Mishner -- who had been in a batting slump -- dropped a single in the centerfield gap. Because of the rout, the Quakers had a chance to field the subs. "We had the chance to try out potential switches if a starter ever went down," Penn coach Linda Carothers said. "It's a nice opportunity to see how things would go. Once Ivy play starts there's no time to try these things out." Despite the knowledge that yesterday's wins do not affect the team record, the Quakers still emphasized the importance of the victories. "I think it really gave the team confidence," Nestler said. "We definitely needed it." And with this increased confidence, the Quakers are bound to receive more good news -- when it counts.