At a Quakers softball game, there is one thing to expect: lots of offense.
In yesterday's doubleheader against Delaware, that was exactly what the crowd got.
"When we had runners on, we were coming up with the clutch hit," coach Leslie King said.
In both games the offense erupted in the sixth inning, which led to two comeback wins, 6-4 and 5-4.
"I was pleased with how we came from behind in both games. We showed a lot of character in sticking in there and getting some real clutch situational hitting," King said.
The pair of wins yesterday marked the first time with coach King that the Quakers (7-5) defeated the Blue Hens (4-9).
In the first game, the score was knotted up at three-all going into the sixth inning. At the top of the inning, however, Delaware dealt a blow to the Quakers, scoring one run to go up 4-3. The resilient Quakers met fire with fire, scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning and clinching the victory.
Coach King thought that the pitching in the first game was critical.
As if the first game was not exciting enough, the Quakers decided to really turn up the drama in the second one.
For the first five innings, Penn's offense did next to nothing, while allowing the Blue Hens to rack up the runs. In the fourth and fifth innings, Penn senior Olivia Mauro gave up four. She left the game with Penn down 4-1.
"I think I did well in the beginning," Mauro said. "I think the hitters were really good and did a really good job of getting onto my stuff."
At the bottom of the sixth inning, down 4-2, the Quakers came up with the same magic that led them to victory in the first matchup.
With one runner on, senior Brandi King violated a rule of thumb: She swung at the first pitch. That swing sent the ball over the fence and knotted the game at four-all.
When asked how it felt hitting the game-tying home run, the senior simply said, "Great. There's no other way to put it."
Senior Melissa Haffner followed up King's home run with one of her own, which put the Quakers up 5-4.
Despite the excellent performance by the offense, coach King credited the win to the Quakers' excellent fieldwork.
"We were a little shaky in that first game, but much much tighter in the second game," she said.
Credit it to whatever you want: clutch hitting, solid pitching or stifling defense. At the end of the day, however, Penn walked away with two W's in its pockets.
"I'm taking those two W's," the coach said, "and running with them."
