With only six games left in the season, the Penn softball team is determined to make every one count.
The Quakers (12-25-1, 7-9 Ivy) will have two chances to do so today, as they take on slumping Drexel (20-16) in a 3 p.m. doubleheader this afternoon at Drexel Field.
The Dragons have had an extremely uneven season characterized by long losing spells followed by lengthy winning streaks. For example, the team was particularly strong late last month into early April, accumulating seven wins in a row. However, they are now carrying a five-game losing streak dating back to April 10.
Three of those losses were shutouts, and the team scored only four runs during that period in games against Delaware and James Madison.
The Dragons' ace pitcher Katrina Gaudier, who has led the team in wins in each of the past two seasons, had an OK showing against the Dukes Saturday, allowing 10 hits, three earned runs, and two walks in six innings of work, but her teammates failed to provide run support.
Despite losing its last five games, however, Drexel still will pose a threat that Penn cannot underestimate.
The Dragons are certainly not lacking in talent. Ashley Botelho, who leads the team with a .405 batting average, has contributed 28 runs batted in. Not far behind her is freshman catcher Paige Collings. Collings, who has a .330 average along with eight doubles and two home runs, was named Rookie of the Week last month by the Colonial Athletic Association.
"Historically we have had good competitive games with [Drexel], so I expect the same," Penn coach Leslie King said.
At the same time that their city rival was struggling to defeat James Madison, the Quakers were showing off their strengths in a weekend series against Princeton. The team won three out of the four games, a result that King hopes will generate enough confidence for the remainder of the season.
"We had a good weekend, and our goal is to finish the season strong," King said. "We feel pretty good about our chances to do that."
Today's doubleheader is the last of Penn's midweek games. Drexel, then, will be the Quakers' last chance to fine-tune their skills before their final weekend of Ivy League play. They face Columbia in a home-and-home series of doubleheaders this weekend.
"We want to finish with a good Ivy League record," King said. "We're out there to win, and we're working hard to make that happen."
