Softball heads to Empire State for two Ivy games

It is do-or-die time for the Penn softball team as the Quakers head into a weekend where they will face their fourth and fifth Ivy League opponents of the season -- Columbia and Cornell.

After Wednesday's 11-inning heartbreaker against La Salle, Penn has now lost 11 straight games and needs this upcoming weekend to remain a presence in the Ivy League.

However, the record is quite deceiving, as Penn (6-20-1, 0-6 Ivy) has lost eight of its games by only one run and taken four games to extra innings.

"I think we are in some kind of NCAA record book right now" for close losses, Penn coach Carol Kashow said. "But that's not exactly one record we want to hold."

Two of these one-run losses came against reigning Ivy League champion Princeton, which shows that the Quakers are not too far off where they need to be.

"It just shows we are in every game we play... we just have not gotten that last runner across," Kashow said. "It is tough, but the nice thing is that we are in every game."

The Big Red look like they will give the Tigers a run for their money this season for the Ivy League title. Cornell has already gone 22-4 this season, winning five of its six Ivy League games.

Its most impressive display was at the plate against Harvard. The team belted a whopping nine home runs on the day in its sweep of the Crimson, 6-4 and 10-2.

Four members of the Big Red have already received individual weekly honors from the Ivy League this season.

"We know Cornell is a big hitting team, but they are not as good defensively," senior catcher Danielle Landolt said. "You know they are going to hit the ball because that is what they do, so we just have to hit the ball right back at them. We know if we do that, they won't be able to handle it."

Landolt had the lone Penn RBI against La Salle on Wednesday.

"They have some hitters, so we have to be real careful when we pitch to them," Kashow said. "But they're streaky, so once you set those guys down, they're kind of a regular group. "We always have good games with them."

Columbia, on the other hand, has already lost three Ivy games.

"In past years, they have been a team that we should be able to beat," Landolt said. "We are going to go into this weekend knowing that it is possible to take wins from them."

"We split with Columbia last time we were up there," Kashow said. "They play spunky, but certainly nothing to write home about."

With the end of the season now in sight and the Quakers gelling as a team, the final piece of the puzzle is converting with runners in scoring position to get the breaks necessary to win the game.

And with the impressive offensive performances of players such as Landolt, senior Crista Farrell, junior Erin O'Brien and freshman Meghan Cowen, the Quakers know that it is just a matter of time.

"We need to win," Landolt said. "Our offense is coming around, we just have to focus on getting the batters in."

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