More of the same: Softball drops four in Ivy play

Another weekend gone, another game lost. For the Penn softball team, the season thus far has proven to be one disappointment after the next, as the Quakers have dropped their last 10 games, including six Ivy League contests.

"We just keep working hard," Penn coach Carol Kashow said. "Part of that streak was against ranked teams, defending Ivy champions included, so we were playing good teams."

"We just have to keep working on what we've been doing."

After a busy weekend consisting of doubleheaders against both Yale and Brown, the Quakers (6-19-1, 0-6 Ivy League) emerged with four more losses to add to their record. Against Yale, the Quakers lost, 4-1 and 6-2, while falling to Brown, 10-0 and 6-3.

In its first game against Yale, Penn had a respectable showing but could not keep up its momentum, ultimately losing by three runs.

"I think we all expected a win," junior Erin O'Brien said. "It's been frustrating because we know we're so much better than how we've been playing."

In their next game, though, the Quakers were able to step up their performance and score one more run. Yale was able to match, however, improving upon their run-total by two for a 6-2 win.

Last year in this same matchup, the Quakers garnered their first Ivy League win of the season, splitting the doubleheader with Yale. This season, the Quakers have yet to win an Ivy League game.

In the game "people seemed anxious and overly aggressive," O'Brien said. "We just didn't play up to our potential. We had a mediocre day."

Against Brown, the Quakers' effort is not best described as mediocre on the whole, but rather as a series of extreme highs and lows.

The Quakers were slaughtered in the first game, scoring no runs to Brown's 10.

"The first game was ugly," O'Brien said. "We were completely road-ruled. The score was 10-0, and we ended in the fifth inning."

The Quakers were able to bounce back in the second game. Though the team still lost, Penn came away with a much more respectable performance and a final score of 6-3.

The game remained evenly matched for the first few innings, as the Quakers started their second game out strong. The score stood tied at 1-1 and then 3-3, until the Bears were able to take the ultimate lead by earning three more runs.

"Our second game we showed up ready to play," O'Brien said. "We really picked up our game and played really well. In the end, when it came down to it, they just put a few extra hits across the plate, and a few extra runners across the plate, and we lost."

Scoring woes have plagued the Red and Blue since the start of the season.

"I'm just a real believer in hard work," Kashow said. "When you get a break in a game, or you make a break in a game like we're going to have to do, then things turn around for you."

In the upcoming weeks, the Quakers will look to recover from their recent losses and become serious contenders in Ivy League competition.

"We're a really strong team," O'Brien said. "We just haven't been winning. We just need to keep scoring more runs. We can't expect to win with just one or two runs."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.