Tough midweek test for Quakers

Trailing first-place Columbia by 4.5 games with five Ivy contests to go, Penn knows that this weekend's two doubleheaders against the Lions represent the team's final chance to repeat as Gehrig Division champs.

"Season's not over," coach John Cole said. "We've got to put together a good week here and hopefully make a run."

"Crazier things have happened," added senior captain Kyle Armeny.

But the Quakers' uphill climb, one might argue, does not begin on Saturday.

Though mathematically insignificant in the race for the Ivy crown, today's home doubleheader against Lehigh (19-25)gives the Red and Blue (14-18, 6-9 Ivy) an opportunity to do what they couldn't do last week: generate some mid-week momentum heading into these pivotal Ivy showdowns.

Last Wednesday, against a La Salle team that had dropped 13 of 15 games coming in, the Quakers managed only two runs despite putting 16 runners on base, en route to an 8-2 home loss.

"We just really didn't play with enough energy," Armeny said of the performance.

This time around, the Quakers think they have a better grasp on school-day play.

"Midweek is tricky. You've gotta get out of class and hustle and be focused right away," Cole said. "Hopefully, home doubleheader, warm day, we'll play pretty well."

After facing this Lehigh squad on its spring training trip in March, Penn is hopeful that what happened in Boca will stay there. The Mountain Hawks triumphed 7-4 in 13 innings on that day, holding the Quakers to just one run over the final 11 innings of play.

"It was our first game of the season," said Armeny, disregarding the team's February loss to Division-II West Chester. "We were working out a lot of kinks."

While that may have been the case, one area of concern for the Quakers in March has remained a problem throughout the season: bases on balls.

Last time the teams met, Lehigh scored its seven runs on just six hits but an astronomical 13 walks - not to mention two hit batters.

On the season, the Penn hurlers have walked 157 hitters and plunked another 44. Quakers hitters, on the other hand, have drawn just 89 walks and 32 hit by pitches.

Beyond keeping the ball in the strike zone, Cole believes that getting on the board first, as the Mountain Hawks did in March, will prove crucial.

"They play a lot of small-ball," he said. "It's gonna be [about] which team can get up ahead and create pressure."

Of course, with Penn's do-or-die Ivy weekend looming, putting together a momentum-building performance today might be just as significant as the score.

"We're gonna come out and attack it a lot differently [than last week]," Armeny said. "I think we played with a lot more heart and desire Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully we can keep that going."

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