The last thing the Quakers wanted to do was count themselves out.
Then, just like that, they were forced to.
After dropping the first of its four-game set with Columbia, 5-4 on Saturday, Penn's faint hopes of forcing a playoff with the Gehrig Division-leading Lions were dashed, to be replaced with the inevitability of a season that was more of a learning experience than a winning one. The Quakers had needed a sweep (and then some) to prolong their season.
The rest of the series offered little relief: Next came a 7-5 loss in game two on Saturday, then 4-1 and 13-5 defeats yesterday at home, meaning that Penn's seniors were left to ponder what in the name of William Meiklejohn happened to the good old days of beating Columbia. Four years ago, Penn won three of four against the Lions, but its series mark dipped to 2-2 in 2006 and then 1-3 last year, followed by this weekend's winless effort.
Offered a chance to put a positive spin on a weekend that was quickly rendered pressureless, Penn coach John Cole declined.
"There's nothing liberating about losing," he said. "Not much to say."
"It's not the way we wanted to go out," added senior first baseman Kyle Armeny, who was honored in between yesterday's games along with classmates John D'Agostini, Andy Console and Mike Gatti.
Armeny responded by lacing a single to center field in his final at-bat, and he walked off the field to a rousing ovation when Cole sent in a pitch runner for him.
Armeny said he could not yet think about what his legacy will be, although he conceded that the finality of his playing career might sink in soon.
"I'm used to getting up in the morning thinking about baseball," he said. "I'm not sure what it's going to be like now."
The rest of the team can at least be comforted by the knowledge that things will likely improve next year. For all its struggles, Penn (15-24-1, 8-14-1 Ivy) entered the final weekend with a fighting chance in the title race, and that it did so with a starting rotation of one sophomore and three freshmen is reason enough to be optimistic.
Cole sent the cornerstone of that staff, Todd Roth, to the mound in the all-important first game. Roth had an outing that, by his high standards, was subpar - four earned runs in five innings. Penn tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth when Mike Mariano doubled in Gatti, although Adrian Thomas was thrown out at home on an 8-5-2 relay. Armeny later scored on a passed ball to give Penn a 4-3 lead, but the failure to get that extra run home proved fatal when Columbia (20-24, 15-5) scored twice in the bottom of the inning.
The Lions pounced on sophomore Robbie Seymour for two first-inning home runs that set the tone for a 7-5 win in the afternoon matchup. Penn couldn't decipher John Baumann's herky-jerky delivery in yesterday's first game, and the Lions pounded out 16 hits to take the nightcap.
Now comes the hard part: the long road to next year.
"It's a game of perseverance," Cole said. "We've gotta get back to work."
