After its season opener was postponed, Penn softball hit the road for 11 games in Florida over spring break to kick off its season.
The stretch was a roller coaster ride for the Quakers. The Red and Blue began the 2014 campaign with four consecutive losses to various teams at the UCF Spring Fling tournament.
Penn followed those losses up with a win in its final contest at UCF Spring Fling and another three victories at the USF Under Armour Showcase. But the Quakers (4-7) dropped their final three games of their spring break slate.
In Penn's first win of the season against Colgate, junior Alexis Borden scattered six hits over six innings, allowing only one earned run. Borden conceded four walks but managed to strike out eight batters as sophomore Lauren Li hit the Quakers' first home run of the season in the 11-1 victory.
Two days later, Borden continued her hot streak, this time striking out ten batters in Penn's 6-0 win over Seton Hall. The Quakers managed to sweep the doubleheader on Mar. 11 with a second victory over Quinnipiac.
Against the Bobcats, Penn notched eight runs and eight hits in the fifth inning alone on its way to a 10-1 win. Freshman Alexis Sargent got the win in her first career start for Penn and junior Sydney Turchin led off the Quakers’ dominant frame with a solo home run.
After capturing an 8-7 win over Providence the following afternoon, the Red and Blue began its three game slide with a 1-0 loss to USF.
In the three losses to end spring break, Penn was only able to notch one run. In addition to the Quakers' one-run loss to the Bulls, the Red and Blue fell to Butler, 3-1, and Maine, 2-0.
Freshman outfielder Leah Allen stood out for Penn over break as she blasted home runs on three consecutive days in the Quakers games against Providence, USF and Butler.
Penn will return to action on Wednesday, Mar. 19, when they travel to Lehigh for a doubleheader.
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