The sun was beaming for Penn softball Monday , both literally and figuratively.
After mother nature’s furious rains forced the postponement of a doubleheader against Brown on Saturday, the skies finally cleared and made way for the Quakers to host Yale at Penn Park on Monday for its first Ivy games of the year.
It was a quick doubleheader for the Red and Blue (6-11, 2-0 Ivy), who dispatched the Bulldogs (3-17, 0-4) by identical 3-0 margins in both games.
The opening game was decided early on in one fell swoop.
In the bottom of the first inning, freshman Alexis Sargent blasted a home run to center field, giving the Quakers an early 2-0 lead.
And with junior starting pitcher Alexis Borden getting the call, that was more than enough. Borden gave up only two hits while tossing a complete game shutout.
“When Borden is on the mound, we know we have a really good shot to win and that gives the whole team a lot of confidence going out there,” coach Leslie King said. “If she shuts them down at the top of the first and we score at the bottom, that sets a really good tone for the game and puts us in a really good position.
“That was a key for game one.”
Elysse Gorney’s second inning single gave the Red and Blue an additional insurance run.
The second game was not quite as simple, but a convincing victory nonetheless for Penn.
While Sargent was in the circle for her first Ivy start, her best display was at the plate when she hit her second home run of the day in the second inning, a solo shot.
Gorney followed in the third inning with an RBI double, while freshman right fielder Leah Allen smashed a solo homer of her own in the bottom of the fourth.
Yale — which actually outhit Penn, 7-5 — nearly closed the gap at several times, including one chilling moment at the top of the fourth inning.
With Yale freshman Ceri Godinez at bat with a full count and Bulldogs on first and third with two outs, a visible sigh of relief escaped Sargent’s mouth when she got a called strike three.
Sargent’s defense held the game intact for her for the next three innings, fending the Elis off the scoreboard and leaving them with another loss.
“It definitely wasn’t my best day on the mound, but my team showed me that no matter what, they’re always going to have my back,” Sargent said. “We’re a solid team together. It’s not a one-man show by any means. [My teammates] killed it in the infield and the outfield.”
It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Quakers needed it to keep pace in the conference after a slow start.
“We may not have had the very best preseason, but we’re ready to play right now, and we’re ready to rock the Ivies,” Sargent said with a smile.
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