Baseball left stranded at Johnny Quik Classic

The Penn baseball team opened its season last week with eight contests, highlighted by a sixth place finish in the six-game Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic -- three thousand miles away from its campus. The Quakers finished the Fresno, Calif., tournament with a 2-4 record, falling to UNC Asheville in the fifth place game, 12-7, on Saturday. It was Penn's third trip to the Classic, and its best showing yet. So far, including a pair of season-opening losses to Bowling Green and Illinois, the Quakers are 2-6. "I had hoped to do a little better," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. "We really should have, but this was a very tough tournament. We played a very high level of competition, and the games were all very competitive. There's nothing like it." Along with Penn, UNC Asheville, Cal Poly, Bowling Green, Penn State, Illinois State, Gonzaga and host Fresno State competed in the event. FSU edged Gonzaga in 11 innings, 4-3, in Saturday night's championship game. "Of all the tournaments we've been to in Fresno, this was the most competitive," Seddon said. "Even Bowling Green -- who didn't win a single game and had trouble scoring runs -- played in some very tough games. They have a very legitimate team." The Falcons finished the week in last place, with an 0-5 record, after routing the Quakers, 23-7, in a tune-up meeting on March 8. For much of the trip, the Quakers fell victim to their own untimely offense. In eight games, they stranded 60 runners on base. "We didn't swing the bat well as a team," Seddon said. "We hit under .240, and for us that is very unusual. We just didn't get it done." Some Penn athletes, however, proved immune to the doldrums. Junior Mike Goldblatt led the way for the Quakers all week, slamming a team-high 10 hits to garner All-Tournament team honors. His two-out RBI double in the top of the eighth broke a scoreless tie, and pushed the Red and Blue past Bowling Green, 1-0, on Friday. Already, the infielder has amassed 18 total bases in 27 at-bats on the season -- good for a whopping .667 slugging percentage. His .318 batting average and two home runs are tops among regular starters. Other players also stood out offensively for Penn. In Wednesday's 5-4 victory over Northern Illinois, junior Jon Slaughter went 2-for-2 with two RBI, including a long triple that tacked on an insurance run. "He had a good trip for us," Seddon said of the junior, "both as a first baseman and as a designated hitter." On the mound, the Quakers fared significantly better. Andrew McCreery, who boasts a .273 batting average, was particularly sharp against Cal Poly. The tri-captain hurled a two-hitter through eight innings, before a furious ninth-inning rally by the Mustangs stole his decision. "Our front line pitching was good, particularly Russ Brocado," Seddon said. "We had some bright spots with Remington Chin and Josh Appell pitched very well. "Our pitching overall was alright. We came out of there with the best strikeout-to-walk ratio we've had in a long time. The hitting will come along." Weather permitting, the Quakers have seven games until they travel to New York on March 28 to face Columbia to begin their Ivy League schedule. "The secret is getting ready for the [Ivy League] season opener," Seddon said. "If we play all of the games between now and then, we'll have seven games. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday -- that's five right there. That's the key for us." Regarding his team's most immediate opponents -- possible adverse weather conditions and the Saint Joseph's Hawks, whom the Quakers are scheduled to face Wednesday in Norristown, Pa.--Seddon seemed fairly optimistic. "I think we'll play this week," Seddon said. "We have some tough games coming up, as St. Joe's has played some tough games. We don't know if we're playing yet but we should."

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