Will Gordon carried the Quakers to victory yesterday. The first baseman and pitcher was dominant in all aspects of the game.
Penn scored four runs in the eighth inning to pull off an impressive 12-9 victory on the road against La Salle yesterday, as the right-handed junior went 3-for-4 with five runs batted in. He also pitched two scoreless and hitless innings to record the win for the Quakers.
In the critical eighth inning, Gordon had the only hit for Penn, a single that drove in two runs. The Explorers' bullpen walked three batters to aid Penn's rally.
Coach John Cole decided to go to his bullpen early and often in yesterday's win. He used seven different pitchers, and none of them were on the mound for more than two innings.
Junior pitcher Todd Roth showed improvement in what has been a tough season for the former standout. He gave up no earned runs on two hits in just an inning of work.
The Quakers (12-19, 1-11 Ivy) will take the momentum from yesterday's victory into tomorrow and Sunday when they play archrival Princeton (13-14, 5-7) in two doubleheaders. The Tigers are currently tied for first in the Gehrig Division - despite the losing Ivy record - while the Quakers are in last place.
Even though Penn has performed poorly so far in Ivy League play, a good record against Princeton this weekend will put the Quakers in decent position in the division.
"Princeton has a very talented lineup," Cole said. "They have power, so you got to keep them in the ballpark."
Probably the greatest issue for Penn this season has been letting up at one critical point in a game. The Red and Blue have blown multiple late leads this year - including against Cornell last weekend - and have been prone to allowing big innings.
"We have to put together a complete game in all aspects," senior captain Jeff Cellucci said. "That includes hitting, pitching and fielding over nine innings."
"We haven't finished games out this season," Cole added. "It happens, but we got to stop it; there's been too many."
The Quakers' pitching has also struggled this season. The team's combined earned run average is at 6.97.
However, the Quakers now seem to have a possible future ace in freshman Chris McNulty. McNulty recorded the Quakers' lone Ivy League win against Cornell last weekend after pitching nine strong innings and yielding only three earned runs on six hits.
"Chris McNulty has really come on, and that kid is getting better each time he comes on," Cole said. "He'll probably see some time on the mound this weekend; there's no question about it."
An added variable this weekend will be the Penn-Princeton rivalry, which every so often delivers unpredictable results.
"Obviously, all the Ivy League games are important, and that's what we play for," Cellucci said. "But we turn it up another notch when we play Princeton."
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