Mix equal parts of good pitching and timely hitting. Add a dash of power and a pinch of defense. Stir together.
For the first time all season, Quakers coach John Cole feels as if the recipe is complete.
"We've been pitching very well ever since we got up north," he said. "This weekend we had timely hitting for the first time in a while."
His team will have to have all of those ingredients in place when it faces Lafayette (12-10-0, 4-0 Patriot) today in the Liberty Bell Classic.
A win today will put Penn in the championship game against Temple or Lehigh next Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Quakers (10-11-0, 4-4 Ivy) have won four of their last five, a stretch that started with a win over Saint Joseph's on March 27.
Last weekend at home, Penn split its two games against Harvard and swept Dartmouth in a doubleheader.
The recent results have provided confidence to a Penn team that is still recovering from a poor start to the season.
"I think it was big for us to win both on Sunday, especially the back end of a doubleheader - something we also haven't done in a while. It will give us momentum going into the game," Cole said.
Unfortunately for Cole, his squad will run into another that is carrying a full head of steam. The Leopards swept Patriot League rival Army in four games last weekend and didn't yield more than four runs in any game.
"They're pretty good," Cole said. "They can pitch, but where they'll be in their staff after a long weekend like we had, nobody knows. But they've done a good job playing defense and pitching, so hopefully it'll be a very tight game."
Cole has good reason to believe this game may be close. Lafayette won a March 21 matchup against Penn 2-1 in ten innings.
The Quakers will have to maximize their opportunities against the Leopards. In order to score against their pitching and defense, Penn will have to be disciplined yet aggressive at the plate.
However, Penn is less concerned about Lafayette's offense. The team isn't particularly scared by any of the Leopards' hitters, and the game plan will be to pitch around a few dangerous players and throw strikes to the others.
Freshman Robbie Seymour is expected to get the nod for the Quakers today. While he brings an unsightly 8.44 ERA to the mound, he surrendered one unearned run in his last appearance closing against St. Joe's. Against Lafayette last month, it was three up, three down for Seymour in a lone inning of work.
While the Liberty Bell Classic has no effect on Penn's conference season, a win there will keep the momentum that the team has worked hard to build.
"We're going to get tested here," Cole said. "It's going to be difficult for us and we'll see how we handle it."
