Quakers' bats ignite before game with Dragons

The Penn women’s softball team might be coming off a down weekend, but don’t count it out yet.

After three losses to Cornell last weekend dealt a huge blow to the Quakers’ Ivy title hopes, the Red and Blue (13-18, 7-5 Ivy) will have a chance to regroup when neighborhood rival Drexel comes to Warren Field Wednesday for a doubleheader.

While the clash with the Dragons (15-17) may not have any implications for the conference standings, a Penn victory would go a long way toward making a statement before the Quakers head into a critical four-game road stand with Princeton.

Last season, Penn lost both games to Drexel by margins of 6-5 and 5-3, respectively. In each contest, Penn was forced to fight back from the get-go, as it allowed Drexel to put up all of its runs within the early innings of each game.

And this season, Penn’s performance in the early frames has dictated the end result. Penn holds a 10-1 record in games when they are ahead in the fifth and a 6-2 record when they are up after the first inning. On the flipside, the Quakers are 2-12 in games in which they trail at the end of the first inning.

The Quakers must show that they can overcome their struggles in the early innings if they hope to recapture the momentum that peaked with their 6-2 Ivy record heading into last weekend.

Additionally, after allowing 45 hits and eight home runs Saturday, Penn will need to clamp down defensively.

Drexel has only two batters hitting above .300 — senior Ashley Botelho, who leads with a .396 average and sophomore Paige Collins, who has five home runs and 18 runs batted in.

Penn has shown that it can be equally powerful from the plate after belting six home runs against Cornell, including freshman Brooke Coloma’s second grand slam of the season.

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