It was only because of a late hit by junior right fielder Melissa Haffner in Game 2 of the Quakers' doubleheader against Columbia that the team did not go scoreless yesterday.
Haffner's double to left in the bottom of the seventh led to a run scored by her pinch runner, Penn's only run of the day as the team got crushed by the Lions, 9-1.
This completed Columbia's sweep after it shut out Penn in Game 1, 8-0.
The Quakers fared no better on Saturday, and were swept by Cornell with scores of 6-2 and 10-2.
"We're obviously disappointed to lose four games," Penn coach Leslie King said. "We didn't come out with the kind of desire to win that I felt we needed to be competitive."
In the games on Saturday, the Big Red held the Quakers (14-28, 2-8 Ivy) to just two runs in each contest.
Penn's offense struggled to generate runs as many missed opportunities led to runners left on base, including 11 in Game 1.
Big Red pitcher Haley Mirrer kept the Quakers' bats in check by throwing a four-hitter in Game 2, while striking out four.
Sophomore Annie Kinsey led Penn's offense in Game 2 against Cornell (20-17, 5-1 Ivy), hitting 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Reichert was 3-for-7 with one run in Saturday's games, while the rest of the Quakers' bats produced virtually nothing.
In contrast, the Big Red's offense dominated the Quakers' pitching staff, with 26 hits and 16 runs scored in the two games, including a grand slam in the top of the sixth inning in Game 2.
"Cornell hit the ball very well," Reichert said. "They're known for their power and their strength. Adding it up, they just hit a lot better than we did today."
Adding to the Quakers' misery was the poor defensive performance, as at least one error was committed in each game, including five in Game 1 against Columbia (20-21-1, 3-5 Ivy).
"Our infield struggled with the pressure Columbia put on us," King said. "I've always felt our infield is one of our strong points, and we certainly didn't show it in that first game."
All told, the Quakers accumulated 11 errors over the weekend.
In Game 1 against Columbia, Penn struggled offensively, generating only four hits with no runs.
Junior Olivia Mauro pitched a complete game for the Quakers, allowing eight runs, five of them earned, on 12 hits, while walking four.
Freshman Emily Denstedt made her second start of the weekend in Game 2 against the Lions, but was relieved by junior Lindsey Permar after she gave up six runs, all of them earned.
Again, Columbia's pitching staff thwarted Penn's efforts as the team didn't manage a run in the second game until Haffner's double turned into the only run of the day in the bottom of the seventh.
"We came out a little slow," Kinsey said. "We need to get the hits in the first inning, that's what really gets our team going and sets the pace for the rest of the game, and we didn't do that today."
