Softball season in review

While Penn ultimately lost that final game and ceded the Ivy title to Dartmouth, coach Leslie King and her team proved that Penn is still a program on the rise and that 2013 was not an anomaly.

With that in mind, here are some of the players and moments that defined the upstart 2014 Penn Quakers.

The Yale sweep: Going into their March 31 matchup with the Elis, the Red and Blue were playing just like a freshmen-laden squad is expected to play, going 4-11 in their first 15 contests. The team had lost seven straight games going into the two-game set at Penn Park and was in desperate need for a turnaround.

So when Penn swept the Elis by identical 3-0 margins, it was a big moment for the team. Junior Alexis Borden and freshman Alexis Sargent each pitched shutouts, combining to give up just nine hits in 14 innings. Sargent also contributed with her bat, hitting two home runs to power the Red and Blue while fellow freshman Leah Allen belted a long ball as well.

Player of the Year — Leah Allen: Penn lost so much talent to graduation that things looked somewhat bleak heading into the year. While Borden, Penn’s all-time leader in wins and strikeouts, was expected to carry the load in the pitching circle once again, there were legitimate questions as to who would hold down the fort on the offensive end.

Allen made all those worries wash away, hitting .383 for the season while setting Penn program records for home runs (13) and runs batted in (43). Allen took home Ivy Rookie of the Year and made Penn’s offense feared within the conference. Moving forward, it should scare everyone in the Ivy League that Allen could get even better during her sophomore year.

Most indispensable — Alexis Borden: Borden proved herself once again, shrugging off early season losses to post another strong season at pitcher. The junior posted 12 wins to go with a 2.26 earned run average. She also pitched every game of the ILCS, winning Game 2 and falling just short in Game 3. Teaming with Sargent, Penn rode both pitchers named Alexis to a strong season.

Player Penn will miss the most — Elysse Gorney: While Penn’s senior class was smaller in 2014 than in 2013, the class still had a large impact, especially thanks to a first-team All-Ivy catcher in Gorney. The senior batted .304 on the year and upped her game in Ivy play, batting .356 during that 20 game stretch to help propel Penn to its third straight Ivy South title.

Gorney was also the Quakers’ captain and her leadership will certainly be missed. Her presence was a noticeable one after spending two years as team captain and the rising senior class will need to find a way to replace her. Penn will also miss seniors Kirsten Johnson and Kayla Dahlerbruch, who was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year.