After a slow start to the season, the Penn baseball team has bounced back to win three of its last five games.
Yesterday, the Quakers (3-6) defeated Saint Joseph's (1-10), 10-7.
Despite the Hawks' record, Penn coach Bob Seddon believes it was a big victory for the Quakers, as St. Joe's has had a difficult schedule including a game against Florida State, ranked No. 6 in the 2003 Preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll.
In addition, Seddon noted that the Quakers have been plagued by injuries this season. Against St. Joe's, two of the Quakers' starting outfielders were missing, as Bryan Graves is injured and Steve Glass was sick and did not play. Penn started freshmen Evan Sobel and Coba Canales in centerfield and at shortstop, respectively.
"We have a lot of depth on this team," Seddon said. "We are just trying to figure out which team is the best to put on the field when we play Columbia [in our Ivy League opener]."
Penn's offense keyed the victory, as they scored five runs in the second inning.
Led by the bat of designated hitter Kasey Adler, who went 3-for-4 on the day, including a double, a run and two runs batted in, the Quakers scored a season-high 10 runs.
"We hit the ball better today than we had been doing," said rightfielder Mike Goldblatt, who had a home run. "Today, all the guys in the middle of the lineup, who weren't hitting as well before this game, hit well."
Indeed, the four, five, and six hitters -- Nate Moffie, Adler, and Matt Horn-- combined to hit 4-for-11, score half of Penn's runs and add three RBI.
The number three hitter, Nick Italiano, wasn't too shabby, either. He went 1-for-3 with a homerun.
The Quakers took advantage of the fact that the Hawks started a freshman on the mound -- Jason Volker (0-1). In five innings of work, Volker allowed nine runs (six earned) and eight hits.
"When you play mid-week games, you sometimes play weaker pitchers," Goldblatt said. "They started a freshman today, and he wasn't throwing as hard as some of the pitchers we've faced, so he was obviously easier to hit."
After Billy Kirk gave up five runs (three earned) in the third inning, Josh Appell (1-1), Remington Chin, and Brian Winnings (one save) pitched six scoreless innings. The pitching trio gave up just three hits, combined for eight strikeouts, and walked zero batters.
"Appell and Chin were the keys in the game," Seddon said. "Those two kids put the goose eggs up there in the middle innings."
While the win over St. Joe's will help build Penn's momentum heading into the next game and ultimately the Ivy League season, its four opening losses still seem a bit worrisome.
But Goldblatt and Seddon remain optimistic about the season, as the talent level at the California tournament was significantly higher than what they will face in the Ivy League.
"We've played better every game we play," Seddon said. "And that is what's important."
Penn hosts Westchester in a double-header at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.
"Westchester is 10-1 and their coach has turned that team around," Seddon said. "So that will be a good test for us."
