Softball | Putting out the flames

If Penn softball has one thing going for it this year - besides a bevy of young talent - it's a deep pitching staff with some proven studs.

Those aces will get their toughest test yet against the two top offensive teams in the Ivy League, Brown and Yale, when the Quakers (6-17-1, 1-3 Ivy) make a road trip this weekend.

The Bears (7-13, 1-3) are undefeated at home in Providence, R.I., largely a result of the aptitude they have shown at the plate. Their team batting average of .301 was second best in the league as of last week.

"They're an improved team from last year," Penn coach Leslie King said. "They have a much better record at this point, and I expect a good battle with them."

While their pitching has been a problem spot in recent years, the Bears have benefitted from rookie Trish Melvin, who has been a gem in the circle. She threw 6.1 impressive innings in a win over Rhode Island this week, giving up just two hits for three runs.

"[Melvin] throws the ball hard, as I saw when she was playing summer ball," King said. "She's gonna keep them in the game, give them a chance to win."

Despite their strong offensive average, however, Brown has lost three Ivy games by wide margins, dropping two to Cornell, 11-0 and 6-0, and splitting with Princeton.

Yale (12-14, 1-3) has had similar league woes, producing the same result against the Big Red and the Tigers. Emerging from a Wednesday sweep against Fairfield, however, the Bulldogs are on a roll, hitting a league-leading .304.

Senior Megan Enyeart, who's hitting .368 on the year with 15 runs batted in, recently tied the school record for career doubles.

But the Bulldogs spread the love - five of their starters are hitting over .339, and in the doubleheader against Fairfield, nine different players had hits.

"They certainly have the talent, but they seem to be inconsistent," King said, pointing to Yale's decent out-of-conference record. "We've split with them the past couple of years, but they might be a different team when we get there."

Though Penn's pitching staff might have their hands full, senior Emily Denstedt and sophomore Jessie Lupardus will get some major support from the Quakers' bats, which have come alive recently.

Penn's dominating win over LaSalle Wednesday stemmed from sophomore Taylor Tieman's game-starting grand slam, followed by sophomore catcher Alisha Prystowsky's two-run homer.

Still, Penn has totaled only 66 runs in 23 games - an average of 2.87 per contest - and have been outscored by nearly two runs per game this season.

But considering Penn's young roster, there's reason to believe that the team will continue to improve.

"Every game, we're getting more and more experience," King said.

"[Our hitters are] putting us in a pretty good place."

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