How does one stop Penn's clutch hitting? Cancel the last inning

Beating a city rival is great. Beating a city rival on a walk-off single is better.

The Penn softball team accomplished that feat yesterday during the first game of a home doubleheader against Villanova, beating the Wildcats 6-5 after senior right fielder Melissa Haffner drove in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. But despite the heroics, the Quakers weren't able to get the sweep, losing 7-4 in six innings in the later game.

For Haffner, the winning RBI was just a matter of adjustment.

"As a senior, I realize that it's one of my last at-bats, and I just want take advantage of every opportunity I get," Haffner said. "When I stepped up I knew [Villanova pitcher Laura Determan] was going to pitch me outside since she had been doing so the whole game. When she did so, I just went with the pitch."

"Melissa is swinging the bat better than she [ever] has," coach Leslie King said. "And as a senior, she's swinging it very well when we need clutch hits."

The win had added significance and the loss added pain, since there's something of a rivalry between the Quakers (18-12) and the Wildcats (17-16).

"My first few years here, they absolutely annihilated us," King said. "But then last year we won a game when we came back from [six] runs down. That got our kids really fired up. They felt the same today, and for whatever reason they just really wanted to beat" Villanova.

Last year's win included a six-run deficit going into the top of the seventh inning. The previous year the Quakers weren't as successful, losing two games by a combined 14 runs.

In addition, Villanova coach Maria DiBernardi "drives everyone crazy, since she slows down the game so much. That adds fuel to the fire," King said.

This strategy worked for the Wildcats in the nightcap. With Villanova in the lead the entire game, DiBernardi made several late, needless substitutions.

Much to the chagrin of the Quakers, the stalling tactics ate up precious time, and the umpires called the game early due to darkness.

But the setting sun wasn't the only reason for the loss.

In both games the Quakers gave up early leads, letting the Wildcats score three in the first inning of game one, and two in each of the first and second innings in the evening contest.

"Believe it or not, my pregame talk in the locker room was about not giving away early leads," King said. "I guess it didn't go over too well since we gave up early leads in both games.

"We were able to overcome it in the first game, and I think we were on the road to overcoming it in the second game if we had been able to play that last inning. But we really can't afford to give up early runs."

Not unless there's another walk-off hit to win the game.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.