Softball | Home cookin' at Warren?

The tide has turned.

So Penn softball hopes, at least.

The Quakers went 3-7 on their spring break trip to Orlando, Fla., where they competed in the Rebel Spring Games. One of those wins, however, came in Penn's last game. After losing five games in four days, the Red and Blue pulled out a 3-2 nailbiter against Florida A&M; that sent them home with momentum on their side.

Freshman Jamie Boccanfuso, who was named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Week, drove in the winning run with a single in the sixth inning.

Penn coach Leslie King believes that the Quakers' most recent success, both collectively and individually, in addition to their overall experience in Florida, bodes well for how the young team will perform in this afternoon's doubleheader against Saint Joseph's (4-9) at Warren Field.

"We had a lot of close games that forced the type of pressure we can't emulate at practice," King said of her team's play in the Sunshine State. "We were able to end on a high note and hope to carry this confidence and experience through to today's game[s]."

Penn (4-9) has already seen the Hawks this season; the two teams met Feb. 27 in the GMU Tournament in Fairfax, Va., in the Quakers' first game of the season.

The Red and Blue are looking to erase that game from their memory - St. Joe's won, 9-1. King cited inexperience and rustiness as causes for the loss.

"That game was a bit too fast for us," King said of the loss, in which Penn was able to muster only three hits against the Hawks' staff. "St. Joe's had been playing for a couple of weeks by then while it was our first game. I'd like to think we're up to speed now and more level with St. Joe's."

Since its first meeting with the Quakers, St. Joe's has had struggles of its own, going 4-8 in its last 12 games.

Six of those losses came during the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz., where St. Joe's came away winless after contests against Creighton, Minnesota and Arizona. It is, however, coming off of a win against Quinnipiac.

Junior outfielder Keiko Uraguchi, though, is sure of her team's abilities to prevail over the Hawks this time around.

"We have a lot more confidence going into this game," she said.

And a little home cooking can't hurt.

"People are a lot more comfortable with their roles on the field," she said. "And it will be our first home game, which always adds excitement."