Though the softball season is quickly coming to a close, two Ivy League rivals are heading into this weekend still hungry to prove why they deserve to be atop the South Division.
Penn (9-24-1, 4-8 Ivy) will hope to sweep Princeton (13-15, 7-5) in a weekend of twin doubleheaders that start tomorrow at 12:30 on Warren Field. Four wins would move the Quakers ahead of their rival in the Ivy standings.
The Tigers, currently in second place in the South Division, will be walking onto the field filled with confidence. While Penn has struggled lately, carrying a six-game losing streak, Princeton has been victorious in six of its last eight games, highlighted by a four-game sweep of Columbia last weekend.
Junior Jamie Lettire has led the Tigers' charge. Lettire, named Ivy League Player of the Week Wednesday, leads the team with eight home runs and has a .324 batting average.
But Penn's Ivy rival is not without faults. None of the four games against Columbia were blow out victories. And Princeton, which is currently ranked fifth in the league in runs allowed and third in wild pitches thrown, is hardly perfect at pitching.
"It's nice to be home and facing Princeton," said coach Leslie King, who sees playing at home as particularly advantageous against the Tigers, who are just 1-3 against league opponents on the road.
"They have a very small field and they hit home runs on that little, tiny field," King said. "Our field is bigger, which will provide more of a challenge for them hitting wise."
(The Tigers average .81 homers per game, second in the league.)
The Red and Blue might also benefit from the unexpected rest that came this week when their Tuesday doubleheader against Villanova was canceled due to rain.
"This time of year the weekend road games can be tiring," King said. "We've been able to practice over the last couple of days and . refocus."
"I think it was good for us to get a break," agreed junior Keiko Uraguchi. "Being away for two weeks is tiring . so having Tuesday off was really good for us. I think energy is going to be key."
Luckily for Penn, Princeton is coming off a road split at Rutgers yesterday.
If Penn wants to take this Ancient Eight showdown, it will need improvement in more than one aspect of play. The team allowed Cornell to score 36 times in last weekend's two doubleheaders and has only put 18 of its own runs on the board in the last six games.
Still, many different players have helped contribute offensively, which suggests that all the components of a winning team are present. Perhaps the only thing missing is that elusive formula for consistent success.
"We just have to go out as hard as we can," Uraguchi said. "It's . going to be who shows up to play to win on Saturday."
