Softball Splits with Columbia on Senior Day

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box

PHILADELPHIA - Penn wrapped up the Columbia series taking three out of four games against Columbia this weekend with a split on Sunday. Penn (18-20-1, 9-9 Ivy) pulled out a hard fought 6-3 victory in the first game, but took a hard loss in the second game, 9-5 against the Lions (17-29, 7-13 Ivy). Taylor Tieman and Cailyn Hennessy combined effort in the circle aided Penn in the game one victory, but nine runs in the last two innings of game two would doom the Quakers potential series sweep.

Game 1: Penn 6 Columbia 3

The Quakers, as had been the case all series, jumped out to an early lead in the first game. After Teiman stranded a leadoff walk at third base in the top of the first, the Quakers would get on the board first in the bottom of the inning. Following Samantha Erosa and Alisha Prystowsky walks, two wild pitches would allow Erosa to score and give Penn the early lead.

Columbia would tie the game at one in the second when Maggie Johnson homered to right-center in the second inning. Tieman would recover right after that and not allow another run in the second or third innings to keep the game tied at one.

In the fourth, Columbia took the lead after a leadoff walk came around to score in the top of the inning. In the bottom half, Penn would regain its advantage with three runs of its own. Brooke Coloma started off the inning with a double into left-center and Kayla Dahlerbruch would bring her around on a single back through the middle. After Jessica Melendez sacrificed the runner into scoring position, Kelsey Wolfe doubled home Laura Placentra, who was on to run for Dahlerbruch. Justine Payne would bring home Wolfe with the third double of the inning and give Penn the 4-2 lead.

In the fifth, Hennessy came on to pitch after a Columbia leadoff double. That runner would come around to score, but Hennessy got out of the inning with the lead intact, 4-3. During the bottom half, Penn would add two more insurance runs. Prystowsky led off the inning with a one-out double down the left field line and Coloma would draw a walk to put two runners aboard. After a fielder's choice cut down the lead runner, Melendez and Payne would drive home the two runs of the inning with RBI singles for each.

With the three-run lead in hand, Hennessy cruised to finish line of game one. In both the sixth and seventh innings, Hennessy retired the side in order. In game one, Hennessy pitched three innings, allowing just one hit on the way to picking up her first save of the season. On her senior day, Tieman picked up the victory in the circle, her third of the season.

Just like the day before, Penn used a very balanced attack with eight of the nine Penn starters getting on base in the game. Payne was the only Quaker with two hits in the first game, while Coloma scored two runs for the game one winners.

Game 2: Columbia 9 Penn 5

In game two, Tory Satagaj got the ball on senior day and came out firing for Penn. After getting a groundout to Dahlerbruch at third to start the game, Satagaj got the second and third hitters to go down swinging and give Penn the chance to get on the board first.

The Quakers would take advantage of that opportunity in the bottom half of the first. Elysse Gorney singled into center to start the game and was sacrificed over to second by Samantha Erosa. Gorney would eventually come around to score on Coloma's double into left-center, her second double of the day.

Mikenzie Voves would come on in relief of Satagaj in the second and would be just as impressive as she retired the next six batters in order in the second and third. In the bottom of the third, Erosa got the offense going when she beat out an infield single. She would score shortly thereafter when Prystowsky tripled into centerfield. Prystowsky would eventually come around to score on a Melendez infield single that made the score 3-0 after three innings.

After two more perfect innings from Voves, Columbia still did not have a runner reach base in the first five innings. In Penn fifth, Coloma was hit by pitch and was run for by Barbora Podzimkova. Podzimkova would come around to score after Melendez singled her into scoring position and Wolfe drove her home with an RBI single. With two runners on, Elizabeth Madara and Stephanie Caso were hit by pitch on back-to-back pitches to force in the second run of the inning.

Taking a perfect game into the sixth, Columbia broke up that combined bid with a one-out double down the left field line. Unfortunately for Penn this was only just the beginning of the Columbia inning as two defensive errors, coupled with four more hits and a hit by pitch would lead to six runs and give Columbia the 6-5 lead after Penn looked to be in cruise control.

The Quakers looked to be in position to answer right back after Erosa was hit by pitch to start the bottom of the sixth and Prystowsky singled into centerfield. However, Columbia went to the bullpen and Prophet Gaspard would induce a foul out and then get the final two outs on strikeouts to keep Columbia ahead. With the defensive errors, only two of the runs in the inning would be earned.

In the seventh inning, following a leadoff single and double, Jennifer Bergeron delivered a three-run home run to deep left field, giving Columbia a 9-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Gaspard continued to fire away and retired the side in order in the seventh to preserve the 9-5 Columbia win.

Penn outhit Columbia 10-8 in the second game, but 10 runners left on base would ultimately be the downfall for a Quaker attack that had been solid all season long.

On senior day at Warren Field, each of the Penn seniors seemed to come through at key times. Tieman picked up the win in game, while Satagaj pitched a perfect inning in game two. Prystowksy added two hits to the offense while scoring once and knocking in one run. Wolfe also had three hits with one run and two RBI's. Madara also reached base via the hit by pitch in one of her two plate appearances on the day.

Penn must now await its fate as Cornell will take on Princeton tomorrow afternoon with the first doubleheader getting underway at 12:30 p.m. If Cornell drops at least one of the two games tomorrow, the Quakers and Big Red will have to make up the second doubleheader that was postponed due to rain. If Cornell sweeps the doubleheader tomorrow, these games will not be made up.