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Softball burned by Dragons

(05/02/01 9:00am)

Though the 2001 season has been a fairly disappointing one for the Penn softball team, the Quakers hoped to at least build some momentum for next year with a strong finish. But letting a 1-0 lead slip away in the seventh inning against Drexel on Monday may have proved an accurate reflection of Penn's season. On Monday afternoon at Warren Field, the Dragons (26-22) swept Penn (15-32, 3-11 Ivy League) by scores of 2-0 and 2-1 in the Quakers' season finale. The doubleheader was a rescheduled affair. The initial April 11 matchup was postponed due to rain. The second game was particularly stinging to the Quakers, who just could not shake their year-long habit of blowing late-game leads. "[Today] it was a story similar to many other games," said Penn coach Carol Kashow, who listed five or six other nearly identical instances just off the top of her head. Monday's nightcap followed the traditional pattern. Penn first got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning when junior co-captain Clarisa Apostol lined a long double into right-center field to drive in first baseman Erica Miller. Neither team would score again until the seventh. Quakers freshman pitcher Nicki Borgstadt had been cruising right along, looking to put the finishing touches on her fourth shutout of the season before trouble hit in the game's final frame. With runners on second and third and one out, Borgstadt intentionally walked Drexel's Kristy Heyser to load the bases and set up a force out. But the strategy would not work in the Quakers' favor, as Dragons first baseman Rachel Levinson grounded a hard single up the middle to knock in the tying and go-ahead runs. "I kind of felt that as the game went on, I was getting a little bit tired," Borgstadt said. "But I had confidence that as long as I could get ground balls, I would have the defense behind me." The Red and Blue wouldn't go down in the bottom of the seventh without a fight, however. Danielle Landolt drew a walk to open the inning. Then, Miller, who went 3-3 in the second game, beautifully executed a slug bunt … la Tony Fernandez, as she blooped a soft liner over the drawn-in Drexel third baseman. Miller, after unsuccessful attempts at laying down a conventional bunt and now facing a 1-2 count, squared around early to fool the Dragon defense and then proceeded to single with a half-swing. "I think that at bat was very representative of Erica Miller. She finds a way to get the job done," Kashow said. "She's about as tough a ballplayer as a coach would want to see." Penn second baseman Jamie Pallas followed with a sacrifice bunt, but Apostol grounded out to third and outfielder Deb Kowalchuk grounded to first to end the game. The scenario typified what was one of the Quakers' most frustrating problems this season -- their inability to string hits together when necessary. "[The Drexel pitchers] were definitely very hittable," Apostol said. "We just spread our hits out instead of putting them back to back." Kashow agreed that hitting and clutch hitting can be two very distinct attributes of a team, and this season in particular highlighted that notion. "Our run production wasn't anywhere reflective of our hitting [this year], because our hitting was pretty good," she said. There is, however, quite a silver lining to Penn's season. The Quakers will not lose any players to graduation.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2001/05/softball_burned_by_dragons

Softball to close out Ivy League season

(04/27/01 9:00am)

Although the Penn softball team does not have a single senior on its roster, tomorrow's conclusion to the Ivy League season will likely be emotional. Especially since it will take place at Princeton. The Quakers (14-27, 3-9 Ivy League) will cross the Delaware on Saturday for a doubleheader with the Tigers (17-14, 6-6) starting at 1 p.m. Last year, the Red and Blue split a pair of games against Princeton at Warren Field. Many of the Penn players expect very spirited contests, but they think that the Tigers are a beatable team. "If last year was any indication, I can confidently say that we can definitely compete with them," Penn left fielder and co-captain Clarisa Apostol said. The Quakers are also feeling pretty good about themselves following what transpired on Wednesday afternoon. After falling victim to the eight-run mercy rule against Delaware in the opener, they rebounded to win the nightcap, 7-6. The victory was also significant since it established a program record. Penn's 14th win eclipsed the previous mark of 13, set last year, to make 2001 its winningest season ever. And with at least one more conference win, the Red and Blue can have their most successful Ancient Eight campaign in over a decade. But while the Quakers hope to make history, they will likely be even more energized by the fact that their opponent tomorrow is their biggest rival. "Usually with Princeton, you get pretty psyched up to play them," Apostol said. "That extra enthusiasm will make us more motivated." The Tigers will bring a very impressive array of pitchers into the twinbill. All three of Princeton's top pitchers possess ERAs of 3.20 or lower, while ace Brie Galicinao has been particularly phenomenal. The Stockton, Calif., native carries a 9-6 record and a 0.74 ERA into tomorrow's action. She also leads her team with 12 complete games, six shutouts and 109 strikeouts in 113 innings. And when she's not on the mound, Galicinao is doing damage at the plate. The one-woman wrecking crew leads her club with four home runs and 24 RBIs, complementing a .404 batting average. The main task for Penn pitchers Becky Ranta and Nicki Borgstadt, therefore, is to match the Tigers junior on the mound and contain her when she comes to bat. And even after having thrown many innings this season, they insist that they are up to the challenge. "I give our pitchers a lot of credit for all the games that they've played," Apostol said. "That requires a lot of mental focus, not just physical endurance." Ranta and Borgstadt will have their work cut out for them as the season winds to a close. Penn is slated to play doubleheaders on each of the next three days, beginning tomorrow. Borgstadt said that although having a staff that has mostly consisted of just two players this year has occasionally been trying, the upcoming situation is nothing new. "Having already done that in Florida, we know we can do it again," she said, referring to the fact that the Quakers played 14 games in eight days over spring break. "That's definitely important and it's very comparable." Penn will visit Wagner for a twinbill on Sunday before ending their season on Monday at home against Drexel. The Quakers-Dragons game is a rescheduling of a game that was previously postponed on April 11 due to rain.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2001/04/softball_to_close_out_ivy_league_season

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