Baseball | Short fences, high expectations

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.

Because Columbia's stadium is cramped into New York City, it's a bit of a slugger's park. Center field is uncharacteristically shallow.

"It's a weird place," coach John Cole said. "It's a little different."

Despite the oddity of the stadium, junior southpaw Tom Grandieri is excited to play there.

"It's a pretty nice complex," he said. "They get a lot of fans, a lot of alumni, so it's a good environment . should be fun."

Grandieri, Todd Roth, Vince Voiro, and Chris McNulty will all get a start sometime this weekend, although Cole has not set the order yet.

Columbia (10-29, 6-10 Ivy) has claimed seven of the last eight games from Penn (14-23, 2-14) dating back to the 2007 season. Last year, Penn was still contending for the Gehrig Division crown before Columbia torpedoed the Quakers in all four of the final games of the season. The Lions eventually won the Ivy League title.

"They've had our number a little bit the past two seasons," Cole said. "We need to play well. The freshmen [McNulty and Voiro] are pitching pretty well. We're gonna have a good weekend, have a nice crowd and finish strong at home."

In particular, Penn is concentrating on taking the first game from the Lions in New York. The Quakers have struggled in the first games of their Ivy League series this season and want to set the right tone this time around.

A win "wouldn't do anything to change our standings per se," Grandieri said, "but it could put a little bit of a positive spin on what's been a pretty bad season throughout the Ivy League. We're gonna just try to grab game one Saturday."

Penn's lineup has been streaky lately. It was no-hit by Lehigh in game one Tuesday until the final inning, in which the Quakers slammed home 11 runs for the 11-10 win. Despite the victory, Cole wants more consistency from his lineup - specifically, he wants his leadoff men to reach base.

Regardless of what happens in the first doubleheader, Penn hopes to feed off the energy of the Phanatic when it returns home Sunday.

Sunday's season finale also coincides with Little League Day, an event in which various Little League teams from Philadelphia will mingle with the players and participate in various contests throughout the day.

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