Softball to face Ivy power Princeton, Delaware State

Tigers have 10Tigers have 10hitters batting betterTigers have 10hitters batting betterthan .300 this year They lost their first five games of the season But they haven't looked back since, plowing through their schedule, picking up wins like a little girl smoothly picking up a handful of jacks. They're now in the middle of a 22-game streak. Their star pitcher has been garnered with Ivy Pitcher of the Week honors three weeks in a row -- in the only three weeks of the season. Ten of the 18 players on the team have a batting average of .300 or better. No, you won't find these statistics on Penn's softball team. In fact, you won't find stats this good on any of the Quakers' athletic teams. Look northeast to a little town in New Jersey. The Princeton softball team is visiting Warren Field tomorrow for a doubleheader, and with a 23-5-1 record, it's hard not to be impressed with the Tigers. "It'll be an interesting day to say the least," Penn coach Linda Carothers said. Interesting? Princeton boasts an all-Ivy caliber player at every position. Tigers junior right-handed pitcher Maureen Davies leads the league in victories (14-3), ERA (1.00) and strikeouts (88). "Davies is an experienced pitcher," Carothers said. "She not only throws the ball hard, she can set up hitters." But she's not the only strength on the Princeton mound. Freshmen Lynn Miller and Cori Sampson have thrown their way to a 1.74 and 1.75 ERA, respectively. Penn (6-15), on the other hand, is having some trouble with its staff. Junior ace Vicki Moore injured her hamstring stealing second against Cornell last Sunday. Her condition is listed as day-to-day, and she probably will not appear in tomorrow's games. Moore's experience against the Tigers will be sorely missed. Quakers freshman Meghan Leary and sophomore Jen Strawley will have to provide the pitching. Leary (2-3, 3.68 ERA) is fighting control problems. Strawley (2-6) is maintaining a 1.44 ERA, but has already pitched more innings this season than she did all of last year. "As long as Jen can control what she's throwing, she'll be fine," Carothers said. "She puts a lot of pressure on herself, and she's going to be her own worse enemy." And facing the top offensive team in the conference, Strawley will need her best stuff. The Tigers' top 10 hitters' batting averages range from .306 to .390. Compare that to Penn's statistics. Junior Laurie Nestler has slugged her way to a .418 average, but the numbers drop off considerably after that. Moore, who besides anchoring the rotation, filled the designated hitter spot before her injury, maintained the second highest average at .298. But the rest of the team combines to hit just .204. Penn will have to do some adjusting with the absence of Moore. According to Carothers, freshman Sherryl Fodera will move to the No. 4 spot in the batting order, and sophomore Jen Stanwix will probably move up as well. Strawley will likely be taking her first swings at the plate this season after nursing a broken finger the past three weeks. Undoubtedly, tomorrow's contests will be a challenge for the young Quakers, especially without Moore. "We've got nothing to lose," Carothers said. "Princeton is going to be an education. We've got a lot of freshmen who have never seen Princeton. That's good because they have no idea what to be afraid of. So all they are going to be worried about is playing the game." Sunday Penn travels to Delaware State for a doubleheader. "We've never played Delaware State before," Carothers said. "I think they're comparable. It will be a really big confidence booster." That's something the Quakers will likely need after two games against Princeton, a team that went to the Big Dance last year and probably will end up there again this season. Penn won't lie down and die to be sure, but Princeton doesn't plan to let its 22-game streak slip away anytime soon either.