Army, Temple on deck in Softball four-game roadie

After a controversial one-loss, one-tie twin bill at Villanova, Penn looks to get back on track. With two key players back in the lineup, the Penn softball team will look to end its offensive struggles as well as a four-game winless streak this weekend on the road against Temple and Army. The Quakers will open up the weekend tomorrow in a doubleheader against Temple and then play another two games against Army the next day. Penn, which saw a four-game winning streak snapped just last weekend, has struggled of late, dropping two games to Rider and one to Villanova. The Red and Blue also tied the Wildcats in a controversial game that was called early, due to darkness. "We're not exactly sure what is going to happen with that game," senior co-captain Michelle Zaptin said. "The rule is that once you start an inning you have to finish it, but the umpire should have never started the last inning." In the late innings on Wednesday, with darkness setting in, the Wildcats mounted a ferocious charge, scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to close to within one run of the Quakers, at 5-4. In the sixth, Villanova scored a run with one out to tie up the game at five, and immediately after the score was knotted, the umpire decided to stop the contest. Absent from Wednesday's doubleheader were Jamie Pallas and Clarisa Apostol, a first-team All-Ivy League selection a year ago. Both players were attending the funeral of Penn classmate Justin Finalle, who committed suicide last weekend. "It was a big deal missing those girls because it definitely took away from the flow of our game," freshman hurler Becky Ranta said. "They are both good hitters and they are both big parts of our team, so it will help a lot to have them back." Penn, 8-13 on the season, will not be the only team looking to get back on the winning side of things on Saturday. Temple, which stands at 7-8 for the year, is coming off two losses against Hofstra. The Owls have been on the short end of the stick in five of their last seven contests. "In my four years at Penn, this is the first time that we have played Temple, so I am really excited about that," Penn co-captain Suzanne Arbogast said. "We know that they are supposed to be a pretty good team, but they are definitely beatable." Temple could be just the type of team to help Penn stop its losing skid. The Owls managed only two total runs in their doubleheader against Hofstra. The Quakers have also suffered from a lack of offensive firepower, having been shut out a total of five times this season. They were no-hit by Western Kentucky over spring break and only scratched out one hit in Wednesday's first game at Villanova. "We definitely could have used their [Apostol's and Pallas'] bats in the lineup against Villanova," Zaptin said. "Everyone that was in the line-up could have gotten hits, but I think that we got down on ourselves after we fell behind in the first game." Despite the Quakers' offensive woes as of late, Penn sophomore standout Jen Moore has continued her superb hitting that saw her batting .500 after two early-season tournaments in Florida. The 1999 first-team All-Ivy selection boasts a gaudy .443 average, seven doubles, two homers and recognition as last week's Ivy League Player of the Week. Another bright spot for Penn so far in this young campaign has been Ranta. The freshman is credited with five of Penn's eight victories and has already pitched an impressive four complete games. "College softball is a lot different than in high school because we play so many doubleheaders," Ranta said. "There is a lot bigger time commitment, but I feel good about the season and I'm learning a lot." With a hectic stretch straight ahead, including four games this weekend and eight games in a nine-day span, Penn should be in midseason form in time for the Ivy League opener on April 8. The Quakers are hoping that this weekend will bring some more offense, a few more victories and a little less controversy.