Saturday's doubleheader versus the Princeton Tigers marked the opening of the Ivy League season for the Penn women's softball team. However, the Quakers hope the outcome is not an indication of things to come.
Princeton's Erin Snyder tossed a perfect game in the opener, a 1-0 extra-inning thriller. The Tigers then won the second game with considerably more ease, shutting out the Quakers once again in a 6-0 victory for the sweep. The losses drop the Red and Blue, who collected only four hits in the afternoon, to 8-16-1(0-2 Ivy), while Princeton improves to 13-11 (2-0).
"I thought we competed very well in the first game," head coach Leslie King Moore said. "But we didn't hit the ball. ... It's tough to win the game when you don't get anyone on base."
Freshman pitcher Lindsey Permar did her best to match Snyder's perfection in game one. The Perkasie, Pa., native pitched seven scoreless innings, and did not yield a hit until the middle of the fourth. But, as the pattern has been this season, the Quakers' bats could not push a run through in support of their ace.
Once the game reached extra innings, the Tigers were able to get to Permar. Ty Ries led off with a single, and pinch runner Tiffany Wilson advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Permar then retired the next hitter, and got ahead of Kristin Lueke, 0-2. Unfortunately, Permar missed with her next pitch, and Lueke stroked a single to left. Kim Le's throw home was not quite in time as Wilson slid in safely just beyond the outstretched tag of Kaelin Ainley.
"She struck out twice on high pitches, I was going for a high pitch, but it wasn't high enough," Permar said of the 0-2 pitch against Lueke. "On an 0-2 count in a game where the winning run is on second, you can't be that close."
However, her coach was quick to point out her young ace's ability to learn from mistakes.
"What's wonderful about Lindsey is she does learn," Moore said. "She is just getting stronger and stronger each time she takes the mound."
Snyder retired the Quakers in order once more in the bottom of the inning. The Tigers ace struck out 10 in eight perfect innings as she baffled the Penn hitters all day, mixing in her deadly drop curve along with riseballs and changeups.
"We weren't capitalizing on the first-pitch strikes," senior captain Erin O'Brien said. "More than likely, they were going to be the best pitches we would see and we would either watch it go by or swing and miss."
The second game was not nearly as close. Princeton took control early off a beautifully executed squeeze bunt from Melissa Finley and never looked back. Finley, the defending Ivy League Player of the Year, proceeded to hold the Quakers to only four hits in the afternoon, two of those belonging to junior Zahya Hantz.
Although the games against Princeton continue a disturbing trend of anemic offense for the Quakers, there seem to be signs of hope. Contrary to the box score, the Quakers did hit the ball hard. However, whether it was a line shot right at a Princeton fielder or long drive hit just foul, the Red and Blue could not seem to get any bounces in their favor.
"It's frustrating for everyone," said Permar, who has been the recipient of poor run support this year. "Everyone says it must be frustrating for me as a pitcher, but it's not like they're trying to ground out or pop out. They are trying to hit."
"If we just keep hitting and keep what were doing, eventually it's going to go through," O'Brien said.
The Quakers' doubleheader date with the La Salle Explorers on Sunday was rained out, with no makeup date scheduled. Penn's next game will be at Temple tomorrow.
