Even after breaking out of a 29-inning scoreless streak against Brown, the Penn softball team was unable to salvage a game, going on to an 0-4 weekend.
The Quakers did not score in two games against Yale Saturday, losing 6-0 and 5-0. The Red and Blue then lost, 1-0, to Brown in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, continuing a scoreless skid that included the last home inning of an 8-0 victory over La Salle and a 5-0 loss to La Salle last Thursday.
Freshman Kaelin Ainley scored on sophomore Meghan Cowen's bunt single in the first inning to end the streak, but Penn lost two leads en route to an 8-4 loss to Brown in the second game of yesterday's doubleheader.
After being dominated by Yale (24-16, 6-2 Ivy) the Quakers (10-25-1, 1-9) could not put together all aspects of the game against the Bears (12-15, 5-3), and it showed in two very different kinds of losses.
The first game featured strong pitching by freshman Lindsey Permar, who extended her single season strikeout record to 107 with eight this weekend. But the Quakers could not come up with the clutch hit to supplement Permar's strong performance.
The Quakers had a runner reach base in all seven innings, but batted 0-for-15 with runners on. They also never advanced a runner past second base.
Penn coach Leslie King Moore believes that the past contributes to the lack of clutch hits.
"I think this team is just pressing because we haven't been hitting with runners on base and we haven't been scoring a lot of runs," Moore said. "The batters feel that extra pressure."
Brown scored its only run on Cowen's errant throw from third base that sailed into right field on Marissa Berkes' bunt attempt.
The second game featured better hitting, as Penn freshmen Teresa Leyden, Julia Cheney and Olivia Mauro all contributed RBIs, but this time it was the Quakers' inability to hold a lead that proved costly.
Brown exploded for five runs off Mauro, who had a rare start in game two, as well as Permar, who came on in relief. The winning run came on a base hit by Jaimie Wirkowski, who came in as the Ivy League's leading hitter. Wirkowski entered yesterday batting .446, but had been held 0-6 by the Quakers' staff prior to that at-bat.
Cowen was the bright spot of the weekend, going 4-for-5 against Yale in an effort which saw her pick up the Quakers' only two hits in game two. She finished the weekend 6-for-11.
"I feel like my batting is really coming together," said Cowen, who is now Penn's leading hitter at .296.
Tomorrow, the Quakers will travel to Newark, Del., to face the Delaware Blue Hens in a makeup of a rainout from March 17.
