Softball prepares for a tough day playing Princeton

The Penn softball team has a tough day ahead. The Quakers are traveling to Princeton to face the Tigers on Lourie-Love Field. The last time Penn played Princeton, they were shut out twice with matching 8-0 scores in both games. This season, the Quakers are hoping to put up a better fight against the powerful and dominating Tigers. For the last decade, Princeton has been the epitome of Ivy League softball. Last year, the Tigers finished with a 47-8-1 record and finished on top of the Ivies. But after Penn's recent victories over Yale, who was ranked higher nationally than the Tigers, the Quakers think that they stand a chance. "We can play with anybody on any given day," Penn coach Linda Carothers said. "We just have to play as a team and adjust to whatever our opponent throws at us to be successful." Included on Princeton's roster is last season's Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, Maureen Davis. Last season, Davis recorded 28 wins to only five losses. Joining Davis, is fellow senior third baseman Michelle Morale. Morale was an All-American after the 1996 season. These two players are just a taste of what Princeton has to offer on the field. Tigers' starting shortstop Tara Christie hit .402 last season and led the Tigers in hits (76). The fourth addition to this group of seniors is first baseman Mandy Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer led the Orange and Black from her position in the field as well as in home runs (5) and RBIs (36). Leading this impressive line up is Princeton coach, Cindy Cohen. This is Cohen's 15th season during which she has led the Tigers to 12 Ivy League championships. For the past two years, her Tigers have been ranked No. 1 in the Northeast Division. Last season also marked the second season in a row that Princeton went to the Women's College World Series. But amid all the hype surrounding Princeton, Yale managed to slip by them in the national rankings, yet Penn defeated Yale twice last weekend. The main difference between Penn and Princeton this year is the level of experience on both teams. Princeton has only three freshman on their roster, and the majority of starting players are seniors and juniors. Penn has a freshman-heavy roster, with many of these first year players taking on key roles. "These kids have got a lot of confidence," Carothers said of her freshman players. But even with the burden of inexperience on their shoulders, the Red and Blue have been playing some good ball throughout the season. Sunday's games against Yale, while providing evidence that the Quakers can not only play with the best of them but win too, also left some holes in the lineup. Both Vicki Moore and Kim Wormer had to leave the first game of the double header after suffering from injuries. Moore returned to play but Wormer was still in the hospital as of Tuesday night. Wormer, who was the Penn starting second baseman for the season was replaced by Lauren Mishner on Sunday. Mishner stepped up to the level of play needed to defeat the Elis and contributed to some key plays in the last innings of the second game of the doubleheader. The Quakers have a tough day ahead of themselves. But they are facing the Tigers knowing their capabilities and their weaknesses. With players like Sherryl Fodera, who has 23 RBIs at this point in the season and is leading the Quakers in batting (.443), and Sarah Dominic, who has added power hitting to the Penn roster and is right behind Fodera in hits (21), Penn is capable of at least playing with the Tigers this afternoon.