Softball wins tail end of a doubleheader

All season long, the Penn softball team has lived and died by the noise of its bats. Friday's doubleheader against La Salle was no exception. Penn (2-9) split the twin bill with its crosstown rivals Friday at Warren Field due to another erratic day of offensive production. The Quakers, after losing the front end 4-0, came back to swipe the second game 6-1 from the Explorers (3-8). Penn started off the day slowly, mustering only two hits against La Salle pitcher Debbie Klawiter. Klawiter went the distance for the Explorers, walking three and striking out four in an impressive complete game shut out. Although Penn was able to stay in the game with an errorless defensive display, pitcher Joy Silvern had a rocky outing and was given no run support by her teammates. Silvern (0-3) -- still recovering from July shoulder surgery -- only lasted 2.2 innings in the Quakers' defeat. She left the game having given up only two runs. But she struggled to find the plate, issuing four walks to La Salle batters. "I think I'm just not challenging hitters enough," Silvern said. "I'm painting the corners and if I don't get the call, I put people on base that I should just challenge and get out. I need to just let them try to hit my pitch." Senior captain Jen Strawley came into the game in relief of Silvern, only to give up two more runs in 1.2 innings. But the damage had already been done, due to the Quakers' inability to get runners on base. Defense and pitching, however, managed to keep the game within reach as 15 Explorers' runners were stranded on base. "We played pretty well defensively," Strawley said. "We were putting the ball in play. We just weren't hitting it hard." After a short break between games, the Quakers came out of the dugout strong, looking like a completely different team. Penn pounded out nine hits in five innings before the game was called short on account of darkness. "We are trying to orient our practices to an offensive standpoint and it really paid off in the second game," junior captain Sheryl Fodera said. "It's kind of contagious. I think with batting. One person gets a hit and it starts everyone off." The Quakers' offense broke through in the top of the first inning when, with two outs, catcher Christine Fenyus reached first on an error by the shortstop, advancing Lauren Mishner, who had walked, to second. Fodera then singled to left, loading the bases. Mishner would score on a wild pitch while a Sarah Dominic ground ball, which was misplayed by the La Salle third basemen, plated two more Quakers. The rally was finally haulted when Dominic was thrown out at the plate on a Kari Feinberg single to left. In the bottom of the inning, La Salle scored its only run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Jane Guzzo. Penn pitcher Suzanne Arbogast worked her way out of a jam, facing six batters in the inning. The action resumed in the top of the second when Arbogast and Mishner sandwiched doubles around a misplayed ball in the infield hit by freshman Vicki Frondozo. Mishner's blast to center field drove in two runs and boosted her batting average to .318, second to Frondozo at .407. The final Quaker run scored in the top of the third when Dominic reached on a fielder's choice and came around to score. Arbogast was outstanding on the mound for the Quakers, going the distance with three strikeouts and two walks. Arbogast owns both the Quakers' 'W's this season, lowering her ERA to 3.84. "My goal today was to absolutely not walk the eighth and ninth batters and try to get ahead in every count," Arbogast said. "I'm happy. I think I pretty much did that." "We made some really big plays in the outfield, [Arbogast] pitched a great game and everyone started hitting the ball hard," Strawley said. "Everything really just came together. To bounce back and play the way we did in the second game is really a positive."