Softball looks to rebound

After four tough Ivy League losses, the Penn softball team will try to rebound today against intracity rival Temple in North Philadelphia.

Last weekend's first game against Cornell resulted in a 18-0 rout, but the Quakers rebounded to play a competitive next three games. However, the Quakers lost, 3-1, to the Big Red, before dropping a pair of one-run losses to Columbia.

During the final three games of the weekend, the offense did not come through for the Quakers.

Although the Quakers emerged from the weekend without a win, they were nonetheless pleased with their efforts.

"We played well against Cornell," Penn sophomore pitcher Nicole Borgstadt said.

Overall, the Quakers' offense has not been up to par with their pitching staff and defense play. Penn's batters stranded 18 runners over the weekend, failing to capitalize on RBI opportunities.

Penn junior Lisa McNeeley applauds the offenses' ability to put runners on base, but concedes that is only the first step to scoring runs.

"We are not getting it done as well as we like to," McNeeley said. "It is a matter of getting [the hitting] to happen at the same time."

The Quakers are hitting well, but they are not producing RBIs and thus are losing close games.

"We could have played a lot better than we did," Penn freshman Zahya Hantz said. "We were a better team than we showed."

Hantz believes that the team can come together and finish 8-4 in the Ivy League because all that the team lacks is the ability to score runs in the clutch.

"Our pitching has been awesome. Our defense is pretty solid too," she said. "We have to start getting our bats going, and we will be better."

McNeely believes the team learned from last weekend's losses. In her opinion, the team focused more and changed its intensity during Tuesday's practice.

"I think we had a very strong practice today," she said. "I know they [the team] took the four losses to heart."

The Quakers have changed their focus and though they have not forgot about last weekend, they are looking forward to the Temple game. Being sandwiched by two Ancient Eight weekends, the Temple game represents a chance to turn the season around -- a chance to hone skills for further Ivy League play.

[This game] "gives us one game in between another tough ivy league weekend," McNeeley said. "We know Temple is a strong team."

After last weekend, the team is not looking past Temple for Ivy League redemption.

However, there is no better time for the Red and Blue to turn around their season.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.