Skidding teams meet at Cornell

For either the Quakers or Big Red baseball teams to think about a Gehrig Division title, these four games are crucial. The Big Red (6-18, 1-7 Ivy League) are on a big skid, and this weekend, Penn's baseball team looks to continue Cornell's misfortune. While Penn (13-16-1, 5-6) has suffered through a three-game losing streak of its own, the Big Red have dropped 11 games in a row. The Quakers will face Cornell for back-to-back doubleheaders this Saturday and Sunday on the Big Red's Hoy Field. Penn was swept last Sunday by Rolfe Division leader Yale and lost Wednesday, 12-11, to neighbor Drexel. The Big Red are coming off weekend sweeps by both Harvard and Dartmouth and lost two tightly fought home games against Penn State on Wednesday afternoon. In Cornell's defense, four of their last seven losses have been by fewer than three runs. "Their pitching is respectable," Penn pitching coach Bill Wagner said, "They just haven't been doing the other things, hitting and fielding, to win games." Cornell's team earned run average, at 6.55, leaves them just below the Quakers in Ivy League team ERA standings. Leading the way, despite an 0-3 record, is junior right-hander Alan Toppen. His 1.29 mark places him among Ivy League leaders. Wagner feels that another righty, Brian Williamson, who is 2-2 with a 5.52 ERA, is Cornell's second most effective pitcher. "Toppen has lost his last couple of games by just a run or two," Wagner said. He added that he didn't remember Penn's batsmen being particularly effective against either Toppen or Williamson in last year's meetings. With four meetings in this one weekend, the Quakers are almost guaranteed to face both men. Penn's will mix the order of its starting rotation slightly for this weekend, and it has added a name, Ed Kimlin. Junior Armen Simonian (2-1), whose 2.57 ERA is the lowest among Quakers pitchers, will get the first start tomorrow. Penn's philosophy is simple -- start the weekend strongly and saddle Cornell with its 12th consecutive loss. "Armen needs to come up big to set the weekend off," Wagner said. Seniors A. B. Fischer (1-0) and Alex Hayden (1-1), both of whom pitched well last weekend, will follow Simonian. Finally, junior righty Ed Kimlin (1-1) will get a chance to start in the fourth game of the weekend after an impressive 5 1/3 innings of two-hit ball in relief last weekend. "It's certainly a little different role, but the idea is still that they're all very important games," Kimlin said. "The role I've been playing all year is I've come in in some really tight spots, and I had to stay mentally focused ? and it's the same thing when you start." Kimlin is taking the spot which Mike Greenwood used to occupy. Wagner credited Greenwood, who has had difficulty in his past few outings, with taking the demotion "very quietly." "Kimlin has had back-to-back strong relief innings. He's got a very good breaking ball," Wagner added. Greenwood will be called upon for long relief if necessary, but Wagner will be very happy if the pitchers hold leads until he can substitute his closer, junior Travis Arbogast. Penn's pitchers will be facing a Cornell lineup that is batting only .257 as a team. There are, however, some legitimate threats on the Big Red roster. "They're an average team where the first five guys are good hitters, and they can run a little bit," Kimlin said. Cornell's shortstop, junior Bill Walkebach, is "a prospect," according to Wagner. Thus far, Walkebach has struggled to a .262 batting average, but has driven in 17 runs to lead the Big Red. Last weekend, though, he broke out of his slump with nine hits in just two days. Lead-off hitter Michael Macrie is also dangerous. He is batting .326 and has been successful in all but one steal attempt. At the plate, Quakers designated hitter Mark Nagata has continued to play his position to a "T." He is batting .427 overall and .517 in Ivy League games. Simonian, at .351, and first baseman Russ Farscht, who is batting .348 with some power, also continue hitting well. "We should be able to score some runs," Wagner said. "We want to keep them on a losing streak."