On a Sunday afternoon, the Quakers (17-24, 8-10 Ivy), took on the Columbia Lions (19-19, 11-7 Ivy) to close out their home play for this year's season. Tied 1-1 in the series at the end of Friday’s games, the Quakers couldn’t stave off defeat against Columbia, who won the series 2-1.
Here’s how the Quakers nearly clinched victory.
A rocky start
The Quakers started Friday’s game off hot, with junior outfielder Megan Huang’s walk-off base-hit advancing three players, including sophomore catcher Alexis Youngren. Youngren made it home from third base, putting Penn on the score board at the bottom of the first inning.
After a scoreless inning, the Lions secured a run at the top of the third. Pitcher Calyen Nyguen hit a home run for the Lions, her first of the season. However, the Quakers answered back at the bottom of the third. Senior infielder Jade Montgomery smashed the ball into left field, giving Youngren another run. Just minutes later, Columbia made an error that allowed senior catcher Delaney Smith to score again for the Quakers, giving them the lead as the game entered its fourth inning.
Undeterred by Penn’s lead, Columbia started scoring with a vengeance at the top of the sixth. With two bases loaded, Nyguen maximized on a Penn error, reaching first base and allowing Savanna Messner to score. All three bases were loaded when utility player Sarah Mikami cracked a double deep into right field, sending Nyguen and two other teammates home and giving the Lions their fourth-straight run. The Quakers were unable to score after this play from the Lions, ending the game with a score of 6-3.
Weathering the storm
The second game of Friday’s double header featured no scoring until the fourth inning, largely due to impressive pitching by Penn’s freshman pitcher Sienna Acosta and Columbia’s pitcher Lily McCord.
The game picked up as freshman utility player Jaz Johnson made her way to first base on an error and then scored for the Quakers, bringing them one step closer to victory. A series of home runs by Smith and then Montgomery gave Penn an extra scoring boost as two total players scored, giving the Quakers a four-point lead going into the fifth inning. Despite strong efforts, Columbia only managed to score once more, in the seventh inning, and the Quakers won the second game with a score of 4-1.
Striking out
Fresh off Friday’s victory, the Quakers entered Sunday’s final game with good spirits. Starting freshman pitcher Sienna Acosta kept the Lions out of the box score, while infield duo Johnson and Montgomery sent player after player back to the dugout with cutoffs preventing any players from making it to first base.
At the start of the fourth inning, the Quakers were still in the game despite not being on the scoreboard. However, this changed as the Lions scored three runs in the fourth inning, increasing their lead to 5-0. Montgomery kept the Quakers' spirits alive, bringing Penn a run and a point on the scoreboard during the fourth inning, but it wasn’t enough to ignite momentum into the offense.
“I just wanted to show up for my team. You know, every day I work hard, and every day, every day this team works really hard. We are all here for each other, so I just wanted to do my job, pass the bat, [and] get it to the next person,” Montgomery said.
The sixth inning saw Columbia hit a series-high six runs, largely due to errors in Penn’s fielding strategy. The Quakers failed to catch key fly-balls in the outfield, allowing Columbia’s batters to gain the upper hand and advance multiple players. Though the Quakers fought hard, the inning and the game ended with a 12-1 scoreline.
With one more series left before Ivy League tournament play, the Quakers will need to bring their A-game to next week’s series to secure a spot in the tournament.
“I want to make sure, first of all, we show up how we do in practice," Montgomery said. "We work hard every single day, so attacking, not worrying about the person in front of us, focusing on our team only and letting Penn be Penn and play our game.”
The Quakers will finish their regular season next weekend against Brown, with a doubleheader closing out conference play before the Ivy League tournament starts on May 7.
