Andy Kuhn

When the Quakers host Columbia Sunday afternoon in their doubleheader season finale, they will have the assistance of a great Philadelphia sports ally: the Phillie Phanatic. Before enjoying the chimerical creature's welcomed support, however, they travel to the Big Apple Saturday where the Lions host a doubleheader of their own.

When Penn faces Lehigh this afternoon in a doubleheader in Bethlehem, Pa., they will be playing, to borrow the title from Michael Shaara's classic baseball novel, For Love of the Game. But not exactly for the reasons Shaara wrote. Indeed, the Quakers (13-22, 2-14 Ivy) simply don't have much else to play for with the postseason so far in the rearview mirror.

As long as it faces a non-conference opponent, the Penn baseball team can hold its own. But so far this season, the Quakers (10-16, 0-8 Ivy) have been the pinatas of the Ivy League: Everyone gets a free hit. They've stumbled to a nasty nine-game losing streak since conference play began and are hoping to regain their confidence today against Lafayette (13-15) in Easton, Pa.

The baseball team was in no mood to stretch. It was the top of the seventh inning, and the Quakers led Dartmouth, 8-3, and were seemingly cruising on their way to victory over an inferior opponent. Then the Big Green rallied for five runs, including a three-run homer, and the Penn players sat disheartened in their dugout in the middle of the inning.

After yesterday's game against Villanova, it seems as though depth will not be an issue for the baseball team as it heads into the Ivy League Tournament this weekend. Sophomore Mike Mariano more-than-literally stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning, still searching for his first hit of the season.

Two teams, 36 innings. That's more than your typical meet-and-greet. Fortunately, familiarity seems to favor Penn's baseball team; after dropping its first game to Georgetown several weeks ago by a double digit margin, the team rebounded to win four of the remaining five games against the Hoyas.

The players on Penn's baseball team have an annual obligation to forego college students' favorite pastime, spring break, in favor of America's. Nevertheless they are feeling as fresh as any college student after their success on the spring trip, which they hope to continue today against Temple.

Some things, like gin and tonic or Beyonce and Jay-Z, are just meant to be together. An amicable relationship between Penn and Georgetown's baseball teams isn't one of them. Having already faced the Hoyas twice in their season opener last weekend, the Quakers will play them four additional times this weekend at Rollins College, as Penn heads down to Winter Park, Fla.

Forget Moneyball. While baseball is largely a game of numbers, no quantitative value can be assigned to the upbeat attitude humming within the Quakers' locker room only days before the season begins Saturday against Davidson and Georgetown. "We want to go down there and execute," junior Steve Gable, a co-captain and the team's starting second baseman, said.

Jacqueline Wong was staring defeat in the face Sunday. Down one set and trailing 4-1 in the second against Maryland's Maggie Mackeever, the junior gazed at her opponent and only one thought crossed her mind: "Finish and never give up." That take-no-prisoners attitude paid off as Wong prevailed in dramatic fashion, winning the next five games to claim that set 6-4 and then winning 10-6 in the tiebreaker.