Dropping like flies

It is often said that less is more, but in the case of the pitchers of the Penn softball team, more would definitely be better.

After injuries and defections, the Quakers find themselves with only three pitchers in their starting rotation.

The Red and Blue's pitching woes started last year as then-sophomore Michelle Rehm was unable to pitch most of the season due to a stress fracture in her back. At the same time, Lindsey Permar struggled with her control while Olivia Mauro was trying to find her rhythm.

There was one bright spot, though, in the form of then-freshman pitcher Anne Ferracane. In her first season, she showed maturity and control on the mound leading to a 2.71 ERA.

Ferracane's performance earned her many accolades, including the team's Defensive Player of the Year award.

But at the end of her promising first season, Ferracane abruptly decided to quit the team for personal reasons.

"It left a hole, there's no doubt about it, and it's a hole that we are not able to fill until next year," coach Leslie King said. "She was our top pitcher, and when you lose your best pitcher in your staff, that leaves a big gap."

Just as the team was rebounding from that loss, disaster struck in a game against Loyola Marymount at the Bash at the Beach Tournament held last weekend in Lewes, Del. Rehm was hit with a line-drive that broke her throwing hand, sidelining her for at least six weeks.

"It was absolutely devastating," Mauro said. "When she got hit, she was pitching very well against a very good team, so it was really upsetting to see something like that happen."

In what seemed like another welcome addition to the pitching staff, freshman Lori Lantzy joined the Quakers as a walk-on at the beginning of the season. But that hope quickly dissipated when she elected to quit the team after just a few weeks.

But nobody is giving up on the season just yet.

Some key additions to the staff in the offseason give the team cause for hope, such as the hiring of assistant coach Alexis Alcantara.

Alcantara, who pitched for Hofstra in her playing days, is bringing her experience of pitching in the NCAA Tournament to the Quakers just in time.

"I definitely think [working with Alcantara] has improved my pitching over the course of the offseason," Mauro said. "She really paid attention to each of the pitchers' strengths and weaknesses. We definitely got a lot more one-on-one attention and individual suggestions for how to improve."

And the improvement is starting to show.

In her last two outings at the Bash at the Beach Tournament, Mauro gave up just one earned run in eight innings of relief pitching. She now has an ERA of 5.46, lowest on the team.

Another welcome pick-up in the offseason was freshman pitcher Emily Denstedt, who has started seven games this season, pitching three complete games.

Although she has responded well given the pressure of being one of three pitchers, it certainly has been a steep learning curve.

"She's had some excellent outings, and she's had some not-so-good outings," King said. "Unfortunately, we have to put her in there, and she's getting more innings than I would have originally planned."

With the accumulation of setbacks such as these, the burden of leadership on the under-manned pitching rotation falls to juniors Permar and Mauro.

Permar didn't decide to re-join the team until the beginning of the season. At this point, she is still working on her overall technique and getting into game shape.

Mauro has shown marked improvement in her pitching, and credits experience as the main reason behind the junior duo's improved abilities this season.

"Lindsey and I both have new pitches, and I definitely think that we're much smarter after having two years playing at the college level," Mauro said. "We know the ropes, we know how to pitch around batters, so we can go out there now with a lot more confidence."

At this point, the biggest challenge will be to avoid injuries and make more out of less, without stretching the already limited resources too thin.

"We already have a very small pitching staff and without [Rehm] it's even smaller," Mauro said. "We just need to remain healthy and continue playing our game, and I think we will definitely improve."

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