Softball, Drexel renew rivalry

The resident softball teams of University City will battle each other at 2:30 p.m. in a doubleheader at Penn's Warren Field as the Quakers face their Drexel counterparts. Although both teams are from the same vicinity, these neighbors don't have the same sentiments entering their contest. Last season, the Quakers (10-9) fell to the Dragons (5-8) twice in one day. This season, the scene is far different. Penn is on a two-game winning streak, while Drexel has lost three of its last four games. The Quakers are looking to extend their winning streak against the Dragons, who are coming off a loss to Cornell. "I think that we could come out with two wins against Drexel," Quakers sophomore Arlyn Katzen said. If Penn does win these two games, it will have remain above .500 and enter the Ivy League season in good standing. If not, once again, the Quakers will begin Ivy competition trying to tread water to stay above the break-even point. "We are looking to work on any mental errors that we are making," Katzen said. "Our team is very cohesive this year, and we're looking to make ourselves stronger going into our Ivy games this weekend." Penn is using the Drexel twinbill as one more chance to polish its play and assess its strengths and weaknesses before entering the more competitive world of Ivy League play. It's one more opportunity to assess how much the Quakers have improved. "The coaches are very confident about our Ivy League games this weekend," Katzen said. "They feel that we should come out ahead after the Drexel games." With a plus-.500 record, a mark the Quakers never reached last season, improvement is the main aim. The plethora of freshmen has proved instrumental in the last few weeks for Penn. The Quakers' youth and inexperience has barely been noticed.