Princeton takes two from Softball in Ivy opener

A weekend trip to Princeton brought all the pieces of the offensive and defensive games together for the Penn softball team.

However, the Quakers were not able to put either of yesterday's games in its Ivy League win column, dropping the games, 3-2 and 4-3.

Penn (6-15-1, 0-2 Ivy) was neck-and-neck with the Tigers throughout both games, only to come up one hit short on both occasions.

Princeton pitcher Erin Snyder gave the Penn bats problems in the first game. Held scoreless for most of the game, the Quakers' offense launched what Penn coach Carol Kashow calls "our patented seventh-inning comeback" with back-to-back RBI doubles by freshman Meghan Cowen and junior Erin O'Brien, tying the game at two runs apiece.

Unfortunately for Penn, the bottom of the seventh inning brought the Quakers lone defensive error of the game, which led to a Tigers run and the victory.

The second game brought a more consistent Penn offense, with both teams getting seven hits in the game.

O'Brien provided the most notable hit for the Quakers, a home run that helped the Red and Blue mount a comeback.

The lead changed hands three times before Penn's late-game resurgence was ended abruptly by a line out to third base that ended the game and left the potential tying run stranded on second.

While the rivalry is always a factor, the Quakers did not let past games affect their thought process going into the weekend.

"We have a really young team with a lot of freshmen now," O'Brien said. "So we weren't really thinking about last year's games.

"We were just going in there and seeing what we can do."

The most hopeful sign of improvement were the runs put on the scoreboard by the Penn offense, which scored five runs this weekend after only scoring eight the past four games.

"It only takes a couple hits back-to-back to score a couple runs and that's what we did," Kashow said. "We still left some runners out there, but we're just a hit and an out short of a whole bunch of wins."

Junior pitcher Nicki Borgstadt threw a complete game in the matinee, with freshman Gina Talley relieving senior Rebecca Ranta in the second outing.

"Gina did a very nice job in relief getting all but one batter out," Kashow said. "We talked last week about individuals stepping it up, so it was nice that she was ready enough in her first inning of relief."

Other noteworthy offensive performances in the second game include senior shortstop Crista Farrell going 2-4 with a double and senior catcher Danielle Landolt going 2-3 with two RBIs.

It was her hits that gave the Quakers a chance to rebound in the seventh inning.

"This was the first time we've been at Princeton where we actually made them play in the seventh inning," Kashow said. "We sent a message that we're ready for our Ivy League games.

"This weekend was definitely a step in the right direction."

Lately, Penn has begun to gel as a team, also according to O'Brien

"We are absolutely playing on the same page," she said. "We've had a chance to work together for so long... everything's just fitting together really nicely.

"I am very optimistic. I am looking to win this upcoming weekend, and I think the rest of the team would agree with me. If we just bring our game like we have been, we will be successful."

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