Hopes for a championship may have to be put on hold for the Penn softball team.
After two final-inning comebacks against Dartmouth last week, the Quakers couldn’t conjure up the same magic this weekend. The Red and Blue were swept by both Yale and Brown in two Ivy League doubleheaders.
In its only close game of the weekend, Penn (10-16-1, 2-6 Ivy) could not take advantage of a superb pitching performance by freshman Mikenzie Voves, falling to Yale (13-15, 5-3 Ivy) in extra innings, 2-1, in its first game on Friday.
Voves tossed a complete game — her fourth of the season — scattering nine hits and striking out two in eight-plus innings.
Yale pitcher Chelsey Dunham also pitched a complete game but walked seven batters. Voves’ teammates, however, could not capitalize on Dunham’s control issues, as they managed only three hits and left eight runners on base.
In Providence, R.I., on Saturday, the weekend only worsened for the Quakers. Brown (10-12-1, 5-3 Ivy) jumped out early — 4-0 in game one and 6-0 in game two — and never looked back.
Pitching in the first game, Voves could not match her performance against Yale from a day before. She was chased from the game in only the second inning, giving up four runs.
In an unusual move, Voves started the second game of the doubleheader, as well, but the results were the same. Starting her fourth game in four days, she allowed six runs in only two innings of work.
Coach Leslie King and her players were not made available for comment.
It was in the second game that the Quakers’ offense finally woke up, as they scored seven runs in the final four innings.
Brooke Coloma launched her team-leading third homerun of the season in the fifth inning. Alisha Prystowsky’s second homer of the season cut the Brown lead to 9-7 in the seventh, but Penn would come no closer.
Voves’ three losses this weekend drops her record to 6-7. Despite her struggles, the freshman still leads the Quakers in wins, innings pitched and ERA.
Next weekend Penn will welcome Princeton to Warren Field for a four-game series. Sitting in third place only three games behind division leader Cornell, title hopes are still alive for the Red and Blue, but they are shrinking fast.
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