Quakers take two from Leopards

With a pitching staff that is just three deep, the Penn softball team is forced to hold its breath every time a doubleheader rolls around.

But after a two-game sweep of Lafayette yesterday, the Quakers can exhale.

Freshman Emily Denstedt gave up just one run in a complete-game three-hitter, and junior Olivia Mauro followed up that performance with a three-hitter of her own, going 6 and 2/3 innings as the Quakers took the two games 6-1 and 7-2.

Penn pitchers held the Leopards (6-11) to a mere .122 batting average and struck out eight in the two games.

After a recent injury to sophomore pitcher Michelle Rehm, the Quakers staff has been spread thin. But that made yesterday's victories all the more special for Penn (7-12).

"I think it's sort of a surprise [to be one of three pitchers]," Mauro said. "We wouldn't throw seven-inning games; we'd throw four or five innings here and there.

"I think we realize the situation, and we're going to have to do that."

Yesterday was a good first step for Penn's hurlers, who gave their offense some room to have an off-night.

Not that they needed it.

The Quakers batted .352 and crushed four home runs over the two games, including a monster shot by junior catcher Brandi King that towered over the 200-foot marker in left field.

"People told me it went over the second fence; ... I didn't hear any squealing tires, so no one will ever know" if the ball reached the nearby highway, King joked.

Such was the post-game atmosphere among the Red and Blue -- relaxed, perhaps, because the sweep takes some of the burden of a 1-12 skid off of Penn's shoulders.

The Quakers hope that the wins will give them some momentum as the Ivy season approaches.

"I think we'll re-boost our confidence and know that we can do it," King said. "We just need all the pieces to come together."

Even after a pair of dominant outings by Penn starters, it is still clear that there aren't a whole lot of pieces that the Quakers' pitching staff has to work with.

They'll still have to rely on a small amount of people to carry much of the load.

But yesterday, the Red and Blue took a step toward making it work.

"The pitch staff has been depleted a little bit with injuries, so it was really nice to go the distance," Denstedt said.

"But I know if I hadn't been able to go the distance, [Mauro] and Lindsey [Permar] would've come in and we would've made it happen."

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